Stressors are a part of life but they can wreck your skin and negatively impact your mental and physical health. The complexion can reveal a lot about overall health status, for example a lack of sleep or water can be observed in the face via dark circles, under-eye bags, dry flaky skin, puffiness, and other visible signs.Thankfully, you can take steps to manage your stress to achieve healthy, glowing radiance. 

The Stress-Skin Connection

The body increases its cortisol production under immense stress or pressure. Excess cortisol is known to break down collagen, resulting in a damaged skin barrier, premature wrinkles and signs of aging. 

Stress Management Lifestyle Techniques:

Mindfulness & Meditation

Practicing mindfulness and meditation can soothe the mind, bring clarity, and bring awareness.  A state of mindfulness can be achieved through meditation, observing your own thoughts and feeling your emotions without any self judgment. 

Try working in daily or even weekly meditation, either with a guided meditation or just sit or lay comfortably with your eyes closed, focusing on your breath as you take a deep inhale and a deep exhale. Meditation doesn’t have one look or technique, for example repeating words of affirmation and prayer are both forms of meditation. Consistent meditation soothes the mind, heightens your concentration and lowers your stress levels.  

Integrate mindfulness and meditation into your routine for an elevated sense of inner peace and healthier responses to life’s stressors, and regulated cortisol production.

Exercise

Consistent physical activity provides a multitude of benefits for mental and physical well-being. Whether you prefer HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training), yoga, cardio, spin class, or simply a scenic hike, exercising is known to regulate stress hormones and release endorphins, which are essentially the “happy hormone”.  Similar to meditation, physical activity can vary from person to person so just focus on building a habit and working movement and activity into your routine. An active lifestyle offers mental clarity and healthy distractions from stressors and negative thoughts. In the long term, exercise builds resilience to stress and can help to form stronger mind-body connections. 

Healthy Sleep Habits

Sleep is vital for a healthy mind, body, and complexion, with the average adult requiring around 7-9 hours of sleep each night. The skin essentially goes into recovery mode while you’re counting sheep, repairing the damage endured throughout the day. When you lay your head down to rest, your body is hard at work regulating the production of crucial proteins for your skin health, like collagen. The skin barrier is strengthened during sleep while your skin cells regenerate and repair your skin barrier.

Tips for a Relaxing Bedtime Routine:

1. Implement a steady sleep schedule by waking up and going to bed around the same time every night, including weekends, to keep yourself in the groove.
2. Your room should be your sanctuary, synonymous to sleep in your mind. A dark, cool room is best for quality beauty sleep. 
3. Replace stimulating habits like screen time and caffeine consumption with more relaxing activities in the evening.

Digital Detox:

Reducing your screen-time to a minimum helps to relieve stress and anxiety, better your sleep and overall health, and in turn can enhance mental clarity, creativity, and mindfulness. We’ve established that blue light can mess with your sleep hormones and keep you up. Digital detoxes serve more purpose than reducing your exposure to blue light, it also helps your mind unwind. Technology can be overstimulating and keep you from living in the present, a digital detox is the perfect way to ground yourself.

Hobbies & Activities:

Immerse yourself in worthwhile hobbies and activities you enjoy. Constant busy thoughts running through your mind make it hard to just stop and enjoy the moment. Hobbies are imperative to mental health, allowing you to focus on activities you enjoy and connect with your community, and find like-minded individuals.

Promote Relaxation and Skin Health with Sonage

In addition to relaxation techniques like mindfulness, meditation and exercise, certain skincare products can promote and improve skin health.

• Calming Toners: Soothing Facial Rinse is formulated with aloe vera and lavender to calm and refresh stressed skin
  

• Hydrating Serums: Vitality Nourishing Facial Oil with Lavender is formulated with a unique blend of oils to protect and improve overall hydration.

• Stress-Soothing Masks: Tulsi Soothing Tri-Clay Mask  extracts Toxins and impurities from the skin while delivering minerals to maintain a smooth, fresh complexion.
  

A balanced approach that combines relaxation practices and Sonage's stress-relieving skincare products into your routine, you can effectively manage stress and achieve a healthy, radiant complexion that reflects your inner peace.

Read More:

• How Scent in Skincare Can Influence Your Brain and Emotions
• Does Blue Light Really Damage Your Skin?