Stress and Your Skin

Not many people make the connection between stress and your skin's condition. Many people think that what we feel emotionally has nothing to do with our physical well-being and may dismiss this connection as being nothing more than new age hocus pocus.

In reality, the things we go through mentally and emotionally can take quite a toll on us physically, and the condition of our skin is no exception.

Why does stress do this? How does it affect the body and specifically the skin in this way?

STRESS AND THE SYSTEM

Humans have many built-in mechanisms for dealing with threats, and stress is an end result of something that we translate as a threat.

Some may argue this point and say that stress is not the result of a threat; you feel stressed in rush hour traffic but don't feel as if this is a threat to your well-being. But remember that when humans deal with threats, it's more than just to our physical safety. As humans we need things other than food, clothing and shelter - we need love, respect, companionship, a sense of security, and so on.

Threats to Emotional Well-being

We feel stress on the job because if we don't deliver or perform our job as promised, we may be fired and then wind up homeless - that's a threat to our physical safety. But typically our stress is not so deep-rooted. We feel stress on the job because our boss yelling at us is a threat to our respect and sense of security.

Think of how stresses we feel in everyday life are really a threat to our emotional health and well-being. We're stressed over a fight with our spouse because this might mean he or she would leave us, and then we would be without that necessary love and companionship. We feel stress when we're arguing with a bill collector because this person obviously doesn't respect us.

Stress and Physical Well-being

It's not very often that one may be in grave physical danger these days; we're not cavemen living out on the plains that need to fend off vicious animals or that don't have enough food for the winter. But sometimes it is our physical well-being that is threatened and that causes us stress.

Getting bad news from your doctor might mean a threat to your physical well-being. Losing your job might mean no food to eat. Worried about someone breaking into your home at night means a threat to your person and your physical safety. People in many countries are worried about terrorist attacks, natural disasters, and things such as these that are very real and that are in the news every day, and that might threaten one's physical safety as well.

So while we're not living out on the plains worrying about every noise we hear in the distance, we do have many things that we worry about today that are threats to our physical safety and well-being.

HOW STRESS AFFECTS US PHYSICALLY

You've probably heard of the "fight or flight" reaction that is natural and instinctive in humans. When threatened, we prepare to either fight the threat or run away from it.

Even if the stress or threat is not physical but mental or emotional, we immediately respond by either preparing to fight it or flee from it.

Our bodies do this by increasing the heart rate so that there is more blood available to our muscles. We then send this blood to the important muscles of the legs, in case we need to flee.

When the body does this, it also diverts blood and oxygen from other areas of the body. It's not unusual for someone to feel lightheaded and to have a tingling sensation in their fingers when they're under stress. This is because there is less blood to these extremities; the body is sending it to the legs to get ready to run.

And of course this means that there is less blood and oxygen going to the skin as well, including the skin on our face and hands where the effects of this reaction are more obvious.

OTHER EFFECTS OF STRESS

Persons who are under constant or extreme stress often report having more heart attacks, cases of heart disease, strokes, and other such conditions. As a matter of fact, prolonged stress is linked to a host of diseases and conditions.

Much of these problems can be traced back to this diversion of necessary blood and oxygen to the leg muscles and from it being depleted from other areas of the body. And when the heart is overworked unnaturally like this, it means that it's being damaged as well.

Stress also typically leads to fatigue, mood swings, irritability, an inability to make proper decisions, a lack of concentration, and other such maladies. Why is this? Simple because the brain is meant to think about and handle only so many things at once. When you're under stress you're typically in a heightened state of awareness. This too goes back to the "fight or flight" response. You need to be aware of your surroundings to decide if you should flee or stay and confront your threat.

When the brain is in overdrive for so long, it begins to show signs of this undue wear. We get frustrated more easily because that source of our stress is taking center stage in our mind while other things are competing for our attention. This causes irritability and fatigue.

STRESS AND THE SKIN

When your skin is deprived of necessary blood and oxygen, it's going to naturally dry up. This is what causes premature wrinkles.

Stress is a part of our daily life and there's nothing we can do to eliminate it completely. However, there are some things we can do to reduce it:

• Exercise is a great stress reliever. Exercise releases endorphins, the "feel good" chemicals or hormones in our brain that help us to remain calm and relaxed. It also helps to increase blood circulation so those parts of our body that are being depleted of blood and oxygen because of our stress are going to get their necessary nutrients.

• Being proactive is also a great stress reliever. Sometimes we feel stressed when we feel trapped and helpless. We feel stressed on the job because we feel we have no options. We feel helpless when it's time to pay the bills because we have no money. By being proactive and doing what we can to change our situation, we feel less stressed. So do what you can to correct or adjust your situation. If you are facing economic problems, try getting a second job. You might think this will add to your stress but in reality it will probably make you feel better to be taking control of your finances. If your regular job is very stressful, think about finding a new one. At the very least, knowing that you have some options can do a lot to eliminate stress.

• Try yoga, meditation, or deep-breathing exercises. These things force your body to de-stress itself.

• Practice turning your mind off to your stressful situation. Force yourself to leave work at work and to not think of these things when you're home or at lunch. It might take some effort, but it can be done!

• Be sure to watch your diet when you're under stress. Caffeine will just add to your edginess, as will excessive sugar. And since stress takes this good blood and oxygen away from your digestive system as well, be sure you're getting enough fiber in the form of whole grains, fruits and vegetables. This helps to relieve digestive disorders that are common when one is under stress, including constipation, bloating, gas, and so on.

• Talk to someone about your stress. You don't want to constantly complain about your problems or dwell on them as this just adds to your stress, but sometimes just venting our feelings is a great stress reliever. We can then too be reminded of the fact that we're not the only ones going through these things, and sometimes our friends or family can help us find the humor in a situation or laugh about it.

• Don't let stress keep you from enjoying other things in life. No matter how stressful your job, go out at night or bring home a good movie. Visit that museum exhibit we want to see or go away for the weekend. Even if we're sick or are having problems in our marriage, we still need to find things we enjoy doing rather than letting these problems rob us of everything we love in life. This would only add to our stress.

If nothing else, try to put your stressful situation in perspective. You might have an obnoxious boss, but he or she doesn't run your life and isn't really a reflection on your worth as a person. If you're having difficulty in your marriage, remind yourself that many people are as well and this is just part of being married. Work hard to correct these problems but remember that you probably still have many things in your life that are positive and worthwhile.

Go on to the next page -->