Stressed skin: 10 tips against stress spots & itchy skin

You may already know that stress has a major impact on your mood and general motivation. (Or have already experienced it yourself). Your appetite, eating behavior, digestion, athletic performance and concentration are also affected by stress. Prolonged stress can even have a negative effect on your immune system and your menstrual cycle. We realize that stress puts a strain on all functions of the body. From neurological and hormonal to the biological processes that keep us going. So it's no wonder that our skin is also affected and reacts to stress. After all, everything in our body works together in a delicate balance.

Now, we all react differently to stress factors and phases. Some are more resilient than others. Some notice the effects through their emotional well-being, others through their own resilience or eating behavior. What also occurs in many people, but is often not associated with stress, is a change in the skin. Stress spots, itchy skin and dryness are reactions of the body. So what can we do? Often it is not in our hands to eliminate the triggers, especially when it is job, studies, family and co. that stress us out. After all, we can't just relax on a desert island and sip a coconut on the beach when things get "intense" in one of these areas. I have therefore brought you some tips that you can implement in the first instance and integrate into your everyday life in order to better manage and reduce stress.

Nevertheless, I would like to advise you that neither your work nor your family should bring permanent stress into your life, push you beyond your limits and make you ill. So if you have the feeling that this is a persistent condition, I can only recommend that you distance yourself from the people who make you feel this way and take a more relaxed approach to your career. Because your health shouldn't suffer as a result.

Tip 1: Sport to reduce stress

I know, I know. You've probably heard it a thousand times and at least two thousand times in other contexts. But it's true: sport is incredibly important for keeping our body and mind fit. It helps to reduce stress hormones, balance us out and keep our bodily functions running like a well-oiled machine. Of course, you shouldn't overdo it and you should recognize the limits of your own body, give it rest breaks and not push it to its limits seven days a week. Unrelieved stress can lead to physical and mental problems in the long term. The ability to concentrate decreases, burnout, depression, weight fluctuations and inflammation in the body can increase. Sport is a medium way to reduce the health risk of stress.

Tip 2: Nutrition: fuel for the body

Sport is not the only way to reduce the risk of stress-related illnesses. A holistic, healthy lifestyle is the key to a more balanced life. What we take into our bodies and what we eat plays an enormously important role. Water is the most important of all. Drinking enough has a positive influence on all of the body's processes. So if, like me, you're a bit lazy about drinking or simply forget to, always take a water bottle with you, put a large carafe of water at your desk and get into the habit of drinking a glass of water before your first coffee in the morning.

Foods that strengthen your nerves and counteract stress Treat are examples:

• Nuts. They contain a lot of vitamin B and magnesium, which promotes a good energy metabolism
• Legumes. Potassium makes you more resistant to stress by strengthening your nerves and regulating your blood pressure. Magnesium and vitamins also support this effect
• Green vegetables. The nutrient combination of vitamins, magnesium, Zinc and potassium supports energy metabolism and protects your cells from oxidative stress caused by free radicals
• Whole grain products instead of white flour. Whole grains are generally of higher quality and cause your blood sugar and cortisol levels to rise more slowly, which counteracts stress
• Cocoa. It's not for nothing that chocolate has a reputation for making us happy. The tryptophan it contains is needed for the production of the happiness hormone serotonin
• Fish. The omega-3 it contains breaks down the stress hormone adrenaline. So if you don't eat fish, it would be worth considering supplementing with omega-3 fatty acids
• Avoid sugar (especially industrial sugar). Sugar is a breeding ground for inflammation in the body, which we want to avoid at all costs when stress attacks our immune system. To better protect yourself from possible pathogens and inflammatory diseases Protect, you should therefore avoid sweets and use agave syrup or honey when sweetening food

Tip 3: Sleep, sleep, sleep

Good quality sleep is extremely important for a balanced flow of all bodily functions. Darkened, in a cool, quiet environment, ideally on a mattress that adapts to your sleeping style. You should spend at least 6-8 hours asleep.

Tip 4: Mental wellness for stress - meditation as a power tool

Even if you may not be convinced of the principle and execution of meditation, simply sitting or lying down for 5-10 minutes every day, closing your eyes and really being with yourself will make a big difference. For inexperienced meditators, an app like the one from 7mind would be a good place to start. In guided, short meditations, you can relax for a few minutes and just let your thoughts flow.

Tip 5: Awareness of signals from the body

Meditation is not the only way to get closer to yourself. Get to know your body and its signals. Food cravings usually have a message: that you are lacking certain nutrients, for example. Is your skin reacting differently than usual? This could be due to your cycle, a new product or even stress. Is your digestion going crazy? The gut is closely linked to our emotions. Stress, emotional strain and depression can be the cause of complaints. Listen to yourself and research what comes into your head. This will help you get to know your body's language.

Tip 6: Rituals against stress

If meditation is not your thing, you can also take some time for yourself in another way. Or see it as an addition to your meditation time. Airing out your bedroom before going to bed, lighting a sandalwood or diffusing the scent of essential oils in your room can be your introduction to a restful sleep. Bodycare is also part of your me-time. Giving yourself a little massage with body oils after a shower and taking a little time for the individual steps of your care routine will help you to take a break from everyday life, breathe deeply and let go of stress.

Tip 7: Care products for stressed skin

The skin reacts to stress in different ways.

Stress & impurities:

BHA peeling in the evening frees your pores from excess sebum and thus has a preventive effect against pimples & co. The Spot cream cares for blemishes by drying them out and soothing inflammation at the same time. For your longer self-care rituals, the Clay Mask your skin to Cleanse, reduce impurities and soothe your skin.

Stress & itchy skin:

Dry patches are also not uncommon under stress. First things first: are you drinking enough? Your skin needs moisture from the inside and outside. From the outside you can use hyaluronic acid Concentrate and the hyaluronic acid cream medium from the outside. In the evening you can also use the AHA peeling in the evening. It provides your skin with additional moisture and removes dead skin cells.

Tip 8: Favorite people and physical contact during stress

One of the lessons that our time in lockdown has taught us is the importance of physical closeness and contact with the people in our lives. The happiness hormones that our body releases give us a break from constant stress, we are happy, relaxed and can switch off from everyday life. So take time for your favorite people, enjoy a warm hug and evenings full of laughter and togetherness.

Tip 9: Tackle stress at the root

In most cases, the triggers for our stress are our job, studies or projects that we do on the side. No matter what industry or subject you work in, being faced with a mountain of to-do's and deadlines understandably makes your head spin. This makes it all the more important to approach things with well-thought-out organization, because with good planning, the mountain is usually just a hill. So, even if it takes some time at the beginning that you don't think you have, structuring your work and time in advance will pay off.

1. Make a list of all the tasks
2. Start dividing into topic clusters and tasks that are related to each other
3. Sort the tasks according to deadlines and add other people involved. Please note: You must take the work of the other person into account when setting your own goals
4. Now it's time to prioritize. Which tasks need to be completed first? The traffic light principle will help you: red = high priority, yellow = soon priority, green = no priority (yet). Make sure that some tasks build on each other. Listing them one below the other helps you to keep an overview and work in the right order.
5. Do you still need to make arrangements with other parties? Set up meetings in good time to have all the information together.
6. Delegation plays a major role. Do you have to do everything yourself or can you get help on board? Make smart use of the resources in your team, your study group or even your circle of friends.
7. Now the implementation can begin. Work through your list and keep a cool head.
8. Sometimes things go wrong or ad hoc tasks come across your desk. Don't panic. If you notice that acute stress is taking your breath away, overwhelming you emotionally and making you lose track of things, close your eyes, breathe in and out deeply and slowly & count your breaths. 3 seconds in, 6 seconds out. This calms your parasympathetic nervous system, gives you clear thoughts again and prevents feelings of panic.

Tip 10: Anti-stress recipe - it's all in the mix

On their own, these tips are only of limited help. Find out what works well for you and can be implemented. A combination of all tips will help you best to get through your stressful phases.

Nevertheless, I would like to remind you once again that stress should not be a normal state of affairs. So if you have factors in your life that permanently put your nerves on edge, think carefully about whether you can remove these factors from your life. Your mental and physical health is far too important to put it at risk for the sake of your career or other people.

With this in mind: Take care!