Erase Signs Of Stress From Your Skin
When you look in the mirror do you see signs of stress on your skin?
If you have been living with ongoing or high levels of stress and not taking steps to help your body deal with it, you can be sure it is having an effect on your skin.
And with time they will only show more. What can you do?
Understanding that stress effects your skin is the first, most important step. Once you know that your largest organ, your skin, needs some help to reverse the signs of stress, then you can take a few simple steps to give your skin some relief. A little care can go a long way to bringing your skin back into a healthy, balanced condition.
We know that paying attention to self-care is an important component to reducing stress and the damage it does to your body. Paying close attention to your skin and taking just a few steps toward healthy habits can be a valuable element of self-care and overall stress reduction.
Take a look at these signs of stress you may see on your skin and a few things you can do to reverse them.
Sleep
Sleep is one of those things everyone keeps underestimating. We all think that we are stronger than we actually are. The truth is, we aren’t. Sleep is necessary because it is our body’s technique of rebooting and restoring itself. Without sleep, we are exhausted, tired and barely functioning. And it shows on our skin.
Healthy nutrition and skincare
A healthy diet should be your first and last line of defense against stress. If you do not eat well, start immediately. If you do, eat even healthier. Do everything in your power to increase your chances against stressors. Healthy foods and drinks can help reinstating much needed chemical balance in your body. Do not forget to hydrate your body. Sometimes, all of those headaches and migraines are amplified because you’re dehydrated. It is also important to keep your skin hydrated every day. Use moisturizers and skin brightening creams that will nurture your skin and soothe the stress.
No alcohol and smoking
Sometimes, we feel the stress is implanted in every pore of out being. Each of us copes with stress in different ways. Smoking and alcohol consumption should not be on that list. Cigarettes and alcohol contain pollutants that can only worsen your skin, acting as one of the stressors instead of calming you down.
– via Zigverve
Dry Brushing Can Help Your Skin Cleanse Itself Of Toxins
A great technique that can help the overall health and vitality of your skin is dry brushing. This simple and easy routine can help remove or prevent the signs of stress on your skin.
Dry brushing helps remove signs of stress from your skin by helping your body rid itself of toxins and waste, and improving circulation to all over.
Dry brushing is a simple routine of using a brush with natural bristles (that are not too stiff!) to brush across your skin in circular, massaging motions, moving always toward your heart. Dry brushing can be done once or twice a day and can take from a few seconds to a few minutes. Your skin should be slightly pink when you finish but not red or inflamed. If it hurts or causes irritation, be gentler and let your skin acclimate to the sensation.
You want to move from the soles of your feet up your legs to your arms and then your chest, back, and stomach. This dry brushing routine is *not* best for your face, although a very soft face brush can be used lightly for cleansing.
For a better understanding of the benefits of dry brushing, here is a short list of some of its benefits so you can see if this is right for you!
Another crucial role your skin plays is supporting optimal detoxification. But if your skin is overrun with toxins or dead skin cells, it will not be able to eliminate wastes from your body efficiently.
This is where dry skin brushing can be invaluable, not only in brushing off dead skin cells but also in activating waste removal via your lymph nodes. Beyond this, dry skin brushing offers multiple benefits including:
1. Stimulate Your Lymphatic System
In your body, your lymphatic system is the system responsible for eliminating cellular waste products. Hundreds of miles of lymphatic tubules allow waste to be collected from your tissues and transported to your blood for elimination, a process referred to as lymphatic drainage.
When your lymphatic system is not working properly, waste and toxins can build up and make you sick. Lymphatic congestion is a major factor leading to inflammation and disease. By stimulating your lymphatic system and helping it release toxins, dry skin brushing is a powerful detoxification aid.
2. Exfoliation
Dry skin brushing removes dead dry skin, improving appearance, clearing your clogged pores, and allowing your skin to “breathe.”
3. Increase Circulation
When you dry brush your skin, it increases circulation to your skin, which encourages the elimination of metabolic waste.
4. Reduce Cellulite
Dry skin brushing may help to soften hard fat deposits below the skin while distributing fat deposits more evenly. This may help to diminish the appearance of cellulite.
Dry brushing is also said to help reduce cellulite by removing toxins that may break down connective tissue, although some believe the effect is temporary (and mostly a result of skin become more plump and swollen after brushing).1 The Huffington Post reported:2
“When we’d heard dry skin brushing was an effective method for reducing cellulite, we knew we had to include it in our anti-cellulite road test. Sure enough, it was indeed one of the more successful ways to smooth away less-than-perfect spots on your legs.”
5. Stress Relief
The act of dry brushing has been described as meditative (especially if you do it in a quiet space) and may reduce muscle tension, calm your mind, and relieve stress. Many compare it to a light whole-body massage.
6. Improve Digestion and Kidney Function
Dry skin brushing may go even deeper, helping to support your digestion and organ function. According to one skin care and spa expert:3
“…many naturopathic doctors use dry brushing to help with bloating because massaging the lymph nodes helps the body shed excess water and toxins. One of the immediate effects of dry brushing is smoother skin, but it can also help improve digestion, kidney function, and more.”
7. It’s Invigorating
Many people become “addicted” to dry skin brushing (in a good way) because it simply feels so good. Along with glowing and tighter skin, regular dry skin brushers report feeling invigorated after a quick session.
– via Mercola.com
Do you have routines to help reduce the signs of stress from your skin?