Let’s talk about stress and the affects

Stress, anxiety and depression.
There is enough going on in our world these days for most of us to have experienced these.
I’ve had plenty of stress myself over the last 12 months!
Have you noticed that it does affect your skin as well? Stress and its affect on gut health (causing inflammatory proteins to be released) and the brain – releasing the fight and flight hormones into the body, results in an uptick in any inflammatory skin condition. Breakouts, redness, skin sensitivity, rashes etc. Skin can become dull and lose that glow we love too.
SO – how can we manage these stressful times? It comes back to those simple things that are so
important. They are simple but sometimes so hard to do. But they will make us feel better and
improve our gut health, and then our skin.
1/ Eat well – a variety of foods.
Keep those bad fats out of the diet. (not ALL fats – just trans fats – takeaway foods, veggie oils that
turn into trans fats).
Steer away from sugar. Sugar peaks in the blood cause gut inflammation and affect mood.
Have a good amount of protein. Amino acids in protein are the building blocks for the
neurotransmitters that create those feel good hormones.
2/ Lifestyle – hydration, exercise (not too much, but regular daily), sleep (we never get enough in our western society!), and meditation (daily times of mindful deep breathing and stilling of the mind is fabulous practice for our body. We can learn how to respond to stress in this careful measured way).
Aim to practice mental positivity.
3/ Talk it out when we need to. Talks with friends, counsellors, psychologist are all worthwhile if we are feeling overwhelmed.
At the Mayah Clinic we have been seeing many of our regular patients presenting with flare ups of inflammation, or totally new skin issues. We will always take a wholistic look at our patients to give them control of what is happening with their skin, and a plan of care to get their glow back!