Stress - The Invisible Enemy Of Your Beauty

We understand that your timetable is packed with stuff to do and impossible check-boxes to tick. And then there is junior waiting to be dropped off to his soccer practice as well. So much to do and such little time. But have you realized how much stress your body takes on in the bid of chasing these never-ending deadlines?  

Read on to see the ways your skin is impacted by the stress that you take.

Stress: How It Affects Your Skin and Body?

The amount of stress you feel is directly linked to the health of your skin and body. Under stress, your skin releases a hormone, cortisol that wrecks havoc in unimaginable ways and effects your skin adversely. Stress causes a series of reactions in your body where one thing leads to another.

Here are ways in which stress manifests itself on your skin and other parts of your body: 

Flaky and Dry Skin: The release of cortisol decreases your body’s natural ability to retain the water level. A rise in cortisol means a drop in estrogen. Less estrogen implies less than optimal level of collagen leading to a loss in moisture in your skin. The problem is compounded if you are not replenishing your body by drinking water. The end result? Dry, flaky and irritable skin that is internally screaming for hydration. Moreover, you wouldn't want to look papery, would you? 

Face Irruptions: Acne is not just a teenage issue, it’s a stress-inducted issue. Release of the primary offender, cortisol causes the skin to flare up and break out in acne and other skin problems like psoriasis and eczema. Next time when your face breaks out, don’t dismiss it just like that. It’s calling out for help.

Fine Lines and Wrinkles:  With so many products promising to fight premature signs of aging, who knew the main culprit is stress? Sugar levels shoot up as a result of cortisol being released. The body then starts glycation, a process to combat the high sugar levels. This, unfortunately, hardens your skin and accelerates the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.

Puffy Eyes: Eyes are perhaps first to show the signs of stress on your face. Remember how your eyes ache, puff up and you roam around with dark circles under them after meeting a particularity tough deadline? Defiantly not a pretty sight. Your skin goes into self-repair mode while you dream away in night. Not enough sleep causes fluid to collect under your eyes and make you look like a mess in the morning.  

Grooved Nails: If you see deep horizontal ridges on your nails, it is a message that stress has compromised your body. 

Beating Stress Long-Term: How To Do It? 

Stress cannot be totally eliminated from our lives but we can strive to manage it. Effective stress management is key to achieving a beautiful body(and a peaceful mind). It requires a muti-prong approach that only skincare and beauty products cannot address alone. Role of long-term solutions are often ignored in favor of quick fixes. However, we need to remember that, quick fixes are effective in the short run. But for a sustained effect, a holistic approach needs to be adopted. Healthy living is not just about physical health but is inclusive of mental and emotional aspects as well.

Here are some long-term solutions that will help you beat stress in your life:

Exercise: The benefits of physical exercise have long been proven as a stress reliever. Exercising produces endorphins, a chemical that is regarded as a natural painkiller and also helps you sleep soundly leading to a reduction in stress. 

Eat Right: Eating the right kind of food is an effective counterbalance to your stress. Food enriched with Vitamin C, Omega-3 Fatty Acids, complex carbohydrates, and magnesium are important nutrients for stress reduction. Consulting your dietitian would help you know which food items contain these nutrients for you.

Mediate: Health is beyond physical health. It is a state of overall wellbeing. Meditation is instrumental in restoring calm and tranquility that stress robs you of. That’s because during meditation, you focus all your energies in being aware of your breath, the deep inhale and the slow exhale. Slowly, the jumbled mess of thoughts in your head gets un- knotted one by one. You can actually feel the stress leaving your body as it gives up its tense posture and is replaced by a feeling of relaxation. Meditation gives you an opportunity to be aware of your innermost thoughts and regulate stress. It is a simple and cost-effective method to beat stress that everyone can do anywhere. The benefits of mediation do not end with the session ending. They remain with you throughout the day helping you deal with things calmly. 

RESPEKT cares for your holistic wellness beyond its skincare range. Our app Beauty Meditation is a beauty-focused app that is developed to manage everyday stress to bring out your own beauty identity. We encourage you to use the app and see the difference Beauty Meditation makes in your life.

Looking good is more than using beauty products. It’s about leading a stress-free mindful life and appreciating every moment you live. Because there is nothing like celebrating life and it’s bounties.