Our bodies are always speaking to us, we just have to listen. Did you know that your skin can show internal stress, externally? Ever notice that your skin is more reactive when you’re dealing with some kind of stress? Hello breakouts! Both acute (traffic ticket) and chronic (worrying about the kids) stress can trigger your body to produce more of stress hormones like cortisol, which in turn exerts negative effects on your skin and your body.

How does stress show up on the skin?

• Breakouts
• Fever blisters
• Dryness and itchiness (including aggravated psoriasis, rosacea, and eczema)
• Loss of skin elasticity
• Bags under the eyes
• Greying of hair and hair loss

If you have skin concerns that just won’t go away regardless of what products you use, then it may be time to rethink how you handle stress. We’re here to help. 

Deep Breathing

Take a moment, even if it’s just five minutes, and make the sole purpose of those five minutes to focus on your breath and only that.

• Close your eyes
• Take a slow, deep breath in through your nose
• Hold it for six seconds
• Exhale the stress out of your mouth
• With every exhale, focus on a different body part and release the tension from it
• Do this daily, regardless of whether you feel stressed

For many of us, deep breathing actually seems unnatural – crazy, right? You want to move away from shallow chest breathing and focus instead on deep breaths that make your lower belly rise. This is called abdominal breathing. Deep abdominal breathing encourages full oxygen exchange in your lungs, where your body absorbs oxygen (the goodness) and removes carbon dioxide (hello, detox).

Practice this deep breathing while you’re in the shower or just before you go to bed (or anywhere, really). Spray our Eucalyptus Mood Mist in the shower or on your linens, and then do your breathing practice.  

Mindful Meditation

You’re probably wondering what “mindful meditation” even means. It’s the practice of being intensely aware of what you’re sensing and feeling in the moment. Meditation in general is fluid and can encompass a variety of rituals. We like to incorporate this type of meditation into our daily rituals by practicing it while we apply our face and body oil or when we use our gua sha. This way, it’s easy to manage our stress levels without even having to put aside extra time for it. There’s just something so satisfying about applying an oil on your face and body – so why not use that time to slow down, massage with your hands, and really be mindful of the ritual?

For those unfamiliar with gua sha, it is the practice of using a smooth stone tool to lightly scrape or massage the skin and muscles in such a way that promotes lymphatic drainage. This has a host of benefits, like promoting oxygen flow in the body, relaxing muscles, and improving circulation. Read more about how to gua sha.  

We’re all about promoting wellness within your daily rituals to help alleviate stress. Take care of your body and nourish your skin – your glow will shine through without having to buy the next trendy retinol cream.