How we think and feel affects our skin…

We think with our minds and we feel through our bodies.  We can only feel the experience of our emotions through the feeling we feel through our bodies; for example, if we are shy or embarrassed, we blush and when we are angry, our colour changes and so do our facial expressions.  This is clear evidence that our body is reacting to our way of thinking and a clear example of how we cannot ignore and separate that our skin reflects what we are feeling.

It is a scientific fact that different emotions and feelings create different chemicals within our bodies which can either elevate our mood and create good health and well- being or hurt and damage us through ill health, disease and skin issues which creep up over the years through supressed emotions and living in a survival mode.

There are several ways that our emotions manifest into a physical form; such as our hands sweat when we are nervous, we get butterflies when we are excited or our heart goes pounding when we are afraid or anxious – however, when it comes to our skin, the cause and affect of our feelings multiply and this is because ‘the skin and our nervous system share a common embryonic origin which means the cells that form the brain are also responsible for forming the skin.

Daily stress is largely to blame for our emotions; stress releases a chemical called ‘cortisol ‘ , high level or prolonged stress can cause all kind of skin problems.  Excess level of cortisol starts to break down collagen, causes moisture loss leading to dry and flaky skin, triggers inflammation, slows down cell renewal, increases sebum a major cause of acne and expands our blood vessels. 

All this leads to wrinkles, dryness, inflamed red skin, itchy and sore patches and prone to all sorts of break outs.  When our skin starts to suffer the affects are there for the whole world to see which leads us to feel insecure and unattractive causing intense emotional distress.  We judge ourselves and feel others are judging our appearance, setting us on a vicious emotional cycle. 

Whilst I do not have a problem with wearing make-up wearing it is a quick and temporary fix; eventually you find yourself using thicker foundation and needing heavier coverage.  Make-up should be fun and creative and is a way of expressing our individuality. The ‘Good News’ is you can have good skin and wear cosmetics every day!!

Here are some simple ways on how you can help your skin to deal with our life styles and emotions:
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• Always make time to wash your face in the morning and night…tip use natural soap and warm water. AVOID using facial wipes.
• Buy a facial steamer and use it once a week.  There is a huge variety on the market and at reasonable prices but will be invaluable for your skin.  Steaming your face has many benefits from assisting deep cleanse but also opening pores to enable our moisturiser to penetrate deeper.  It will also help to smooth out the skin…tip..if you do not have a steamer, use hot face cloth to open pores.
• Buy a sonic facial massage brush.  These too are openly available on the market for a reasonable price and can hugely help to smooth out fine lines.  They can also be used to apply your moisturiser….tip.. if you do not have a brush, then massage your face with your finger tips while applying your moisturiser.

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Your skin is your best accessory…learn to wear it well