Our faces are the mirrors of all our emotions. Not only that, but as anyone who has ever suffered from skin problems will tell you, the skin has an uncanny knack of breaking out at the most inopportune moments. Oftentimes you may have noticed, acne can get really bad when you are feeling especially stressed or depressed. In a way, that is your body telling you about any emotional distress it may be feeling even if you don’t realize it. This is more pronounced for people who suffer from chronic acne. No matter how strictly you follow a great clear skin regime, sometimes acne can surprise you and ruin your day.
Stress Can Trigger Acne
While stress cannot cause acne on its own, it can trigger a breakout of you suffer from a chronic skin condition. Stress can be caused by grief, anger, and any other overwhelming emotions. Stress caused by such negative emotional issues will worsen your skin conditions and might make any treatment less effective. The root cause of acne can be attributed 50 percent on genetic conditions, 30 percent on what you eat and how well you take care of your skin (or don’t), but 20 percent is dependent on psychological factors. Taking care of your emotions and mental health might tip the scales in favour of your skin staying clear.
Taking Care of Your Mental Health Can Help
For most of us, our self-esteem is directly related to the way we look. So when we say that our appearance affects our self-esteem and having acne causes us to feel bad about ourselves, the negative feelings will cause stress, so it is all a vicious cycle. Having established that emotions have an effect on your skin condition, taking care of your mental health is essential.
Try Meditation
Meditation can be really beneficial for getting your headspace in a positive place. If yoga or other conventional meditation is not for you, try deep breathing or mental meditation exercises. Meditation can help your feel calm and content, it relaxes your mind and alleviates any negative tension or stress you may be feeling.
Stop Obsessing
One thing that is essential for your mental health is to shift your focus from your skin issues and stop obsessing about any issues with your complexion. Stop looking for potential cures for your acne all the time. If you are able to stop worrying about covering every blemish and obsessing about cleansing and checking your skin for flaws, you can be the one in control of the situations that cause stress and trigger acne breakouts. Because it is a vicious cycle, once you realize that your happiness doesn’t rely on your clear skin, ironically your skin will clear out.
Get In The Right Skincare
While not stressing about acne and zits will help skin problems to go away quickly, but not stressing alone is not going to cut it in isolation. In addition to meditation and taking care of your mental health, you also need to do everything else required for good skin—these include eating healthy, getting some exercise, getting enough sleep, and staying calm. Positive thinking is one part of your entire skin-care routine, and like anything else, it takes dedication and commitment.