Do you ever question why the acne must break out right before an important meeting or a date or even an exam? Have you ever thought about why living a life of chronic stress has caused your stress hormones to trick the body into abandoning good blood circulation for channeling blood to muscles and other bodily organs as if a lion was constantly chasing you?
Our mind and skin share a connection that we have rarely paid attention to, an evolving science called psychodermatology. Emotional worries, trauma, and stress in the mind do eventually show up on your skin in various forms of skin conditions including eczema, psoriasis, acne, hair loss, among others. So, when the question is chronic stress, an important answer to your skin problems should be managing your stress levels, and there’s little more powerful than breath and meditation! Of course, a full-body deep tissue abhyanga massage with Shankara’s Calming Body Oil should help abundantly too in relieving the stiff muscles, improving the blood circulation, and nourishing the skin cells while taking the goodness of herbs like vetiver, dahsmoola, borage, sesame oil, macadamia nut oil, oils of almonds, avocado, evening primrose, ginger essential oil, bala extract, rose and jasmine extract, deeper into the tissues!
So when you have been dealing with a lot of stress at work, home or in relationships without any way of relieving it from your system, two things happen- the blood vessels begin to constrict, and stress hormones are released in the body, that act on your body as if you are in a perpetual flight or fight mode. When you are relaxed and the parasympathetic nervous system is active, the blood circulation is regularized but when you are stressed out, the sympathetic nervous system takes over. It cannot really tell between a situation that is really dangerous and one where you are stressed from deadlines, expectations, worries among other things. One important way your body responds to such a stressful situation is by releasing hormones like cortisol, glucocorticoids, and epinephrine that elevate the heart rate, channel circulation of blood to important muscles and other organs. Poor circulation can lead to drier skin, brittleness in your nails, hair fall, and changes in skin color or pigmentation.
Breathwork and meditation can play an important role in helping you reduce elevated cortisol levels. Higher cortisol levels can cause fatigue, digestive problems, poor blood circulation, anxiety, depression, weight gain among other things. Studies show that practices like rhythmic breathing (Sudarshan Kriya) can release hormones like prolactin, vasopressin, and oxytocin into the hypothalamus and anterior pituitary, making you feel calmer, stress-free with a more active parasympathetic nervous system, and a skin that is an outcome of good blood circulation.
Stress, abnormal intake of caffeine, and lack of sleep can show up as drier skin. You could also observe changes in the color and texture of your skin, caused by the dual culprits-poor rest and stress- both of which can be addressed by meditating every single day. You can also deal with some of the skin drying issues with Shankara’s Timeless Moisturizer, that is a luxurious blend of herbs like saffron, which is rich in antioxidants; manjishta, an antimicrobial herb that contains the acne and inflammation; lotus, which is relaxing, soothing and calming.
Stress, lack of sleep, and hormonal warfare inside your body can cause your skin to get inflamed. There are multiple neuroinflammatory conditions like psoriasis, hair fall, contact dermatitis, erythema, pruritus, among others that can be aggravated or introduced by stress. Meditation and pranayamas or breathing exercises can help you handle the stressors that induce inflammation, effectively.
Stress can cause fatigue and disinterest in taking care of your body and skin, in doing things that you need to do for the skin to stay healthy, glowing, and free of toxins and dead cells. Stress is the inability to cope or adapt to the demands of the current situation. Meditation can increase your prana or energy to get more done in less time, focus, and centeredness to achieve the best output.
editation also increases the release of feel-good hormones that help you stay upbeat, active and do more of what makes you look and feel better.
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