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 you may have experienced it yourself). Your appetite, eating habits, digestion, athletic performance and concentration are also affected by stress. Long-term stress can even have a negative effect on your immune system and your cycle. We notice that stress puts a strain on all of the body's functions. From neurological to 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.

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 habits. What also happens to many, 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? It is often not in our hands to eliminate the triggers, especially when it is our job, studies, family and the like that are stressing us out. After all, we cannot relax on a deserted island and sip a coconut on the beach when things are getting "intense" in one of these areas. I have therefore brought you tips that you can implement first and integrate into your everyday life to better manage and reduce stress.

Nevertheless, I would like to tell 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 feel that it is a persistent condition, I can only advise you to distance yourself from the people who make you feel this way and to take a more relaxed path in your career. Because your health should not suffer as a result.

Tip 1: Exercise 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: exercise is incredibly important for keeping our bodies and minds fit. It helps to reduce stress hormones, balance us out, and keep our body functions running like a well-oiled machine. Of course, you shouldn't overdo it and should recognize your body's limits, give it rest breaks, and not push it to the limit 7 days a week. Unrelieved stress can lead to physical and mental problems in the long term. Concentration decreases, and burnout, depression, weight fluctuations, and inflammation in the body can increase. Exercise is one way to reduce the health risks of stress.

Tip 2: Nutrition: Fuel for the body

It's not just exercise that reduces the risk of stress-related illnesses. A holistic, healthy lifestyle is the key to a more balanced life. What we put into our bodies and what we eat plays an enormously important role. Water is the most important thing. Drinking enough has a positive effect on absolutely all of the body's processes. So if you, like me, are a bit lazy when it comes to drinking or simply forget to drink, 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 of the morning.

Foods that strengthen your nerves and counteract stress include:

• Nuts. They contain a lot of vitamin B and magnesium, which promotes good energy metabolism
• Legumes. Potassium makes you more stress-resistant 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 grain is generally of higher quality and causes your blood sugar and cortisol levels to rise more slowly, which counteracts stress
• Cocoa. It is not without reason that chocolate has the reputation of 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 might 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 definitely want to avoid when stress attacks our immune system. To better protect yourself from possible pathogens and inflammatory diseases, you should avoid sweets and instead use agave syrup or honey to sweeten food

Tip 3: Sleep, sleep, sleep

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

Tip 4: Mental wellness during stress – Power tool meditation

Even if you are not convinced about the principle and execution of meditation, just 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 body signals

Meditation isn't the only thing that brings you closer to yourself. Get to know your body and its signals. Food cravings usually have a message: that you are missing certain nutrients, for example. Is your skin reacting differently than usual? That could be due to your cycle, a new product or even stress. Is your digestion going crazy? The intestines are closely connected 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 way you will learn the language of your body.

Tip 6: Rituals against stress

If meditation isn't your thing, you can also take some time for yourself in other ways. Or see it as a supplement to your meditation time. Airing your bedroom before going to bed, lighting a sandalwood or spreading the scent of essential oils in your room via a diffuser can be your introduction to a restful sleep. Body care is also part of your me-time. Giving yourself a little massage with body oils after showering and taking a little time for the individual steps of the care routine will help you to detach yourself from everyday life, breathe deeply and let go of stress.

Tip 7: Care products for stressed skin

When stressed, the skin reacts in different ways.

Stress & impurities:

BHA peeling in the evening frees your pores of excess sebum and thus has a preventative effect against pimples etc. The pimple paste treats blemishes in a targeted manner by drying them out and at the same time calming the inflammation. For your longer self-care rituals, the clay mask helps to cleanse your skin, reduce blemishes and soothe your skin.

Stress & itchy skin:

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

Tip 8: Favorite people and physical contact when stressed

One of the lessons that the lockdown has taught us is the importance of physical closeness and contact with the people in our lives. The happiness hormones that our bodies release 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 its 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 the matter with well-thought-out organization, because with good planning the mountain is in most cases just a hill. So, even if it takes a little time at the beginning that you don't think you have, structuring your work and time beforehand will pay off.

1. Make a list of all tasks
2. Start dividing into topic clusters and tasks that are related to each other
3. Sort the tasks by deadlines and add other people involved. Attention: You have to take the other person's work into account when setting your own goals
4. Now it's time to prioritize . Which tasks need to be done 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 after the other will help you keep track of things and work in the right order.
5. Do you still need to coordinate with other parties involved? Set up meetings in good time to have all the information together.
6. Delegation plays a big role. Do you have to do everything yourself or can you get help? Use the resources in your team, your study group or even your circle of friends smartly.
7. Now you can start implementing . Work through your list and keep a cool head.
8. Sometimes things go wrong or ad hoc tasks come onto your desk. Don't panic . If you notice that acute stress is taking your breath away, overwhelming you emotionally and you're losing track of things, close your eyes, breathe in and out deeply and slowly and count your breaths. 3 seconds in, 6 seconds out. This calms your parasympathetic nervous system, gives you clarity of thought again and prevents feelings of panic.

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

These tips alone are only of limited help. Find out what works well for you and what you can implement. A combination of all the tips will help you best to get through your stressful phases.

However, I would like to remind you once again that stress should not be a normal state. So if you have factors in your life that are constantly putting 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 risk for your career or other people.

With this in mind: Take care!