Four Ways Stress Can Affect Your Looks

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Four Ways Stress Can Affect Your Looks – And How To Remedy It

However charmed the life you lead, one thing you can’t entirely escape is stress. Whether it’s relationship troubles, worries with studies or your job, money troubles, worries about your body or a particularly bad time with your family, sooner or later you’re going to feel under some kind of pressure. Learning to be emotionally resilient and cope with the setbacks and challenges of life is a skill that we all need to learn. And stressful situations can actually be extremely valuable as they have a lot to teach us about our values and who we are. But there’s a hidden price to living with stress – and that’s the toll it takes on our looks. If life spirals out of control and we also stop looking after ourselves because all our energy is focused on surviving the tough situation then it can soon start to manifest in the condition of our skin, hair and nails. So what can stress do to your looks? And how can you manage the situation to ensure it has the least impact possible? 

Baggage Reclaim

Under eye bags, puffiness and dark circles are some of the first tell tale signs when you’re going through a hard time. Stress easily affects the quality and amount of sleep we get, and that tends to have pretty immediate physical effects. Without enough sleep, fluid begins to pool within the lower eye area, giving that puffy look. If you’ve been crying, this is likely to be worse from the irritation and redness caused by tears and touching the eye area a lot. Aim for your eight hours to help ease the situation. If anxieties are making it hard to drop off, try listening to a mindfulness app right before going to bed, or using a lavender pillow spray to relax you mentally and physically. Ban electronic devices such as smartphones, tablets and televisions from your bedroom – they distract you from sleep and emit blue light, which disrupts melatonin, the chemical the body produces to help us sleep. Try a cup of chamomile tea and a warm bath plus using a written journal if you need to unwind and process your thoughts. In the morning, apply a rollerball eye serum straight from the fridge to take down bags, and try a light reflecting concealer at the inner corners of your eyes to chase away dark circles. 

Stressed Out Skin

When your emotions are flaky, so is your skin. Yep, when we’re stressed, drinking enough water is one of the first things which tends to fall by the wayside. Staying hydrated is key to giving you the energy and mental focus to tackle your problems head on. Buy a reusable metal water bottle and keep it with you to encourage yourself to sip during the day. You should also try to avoid coffee and sodas which can cause inflammation and breakouts when skin is stressed. If you can, treat yourself to a hydrating sheet mask to give your skin a shot of goodness and apply a Vitamin C serum to help bring back your glow. A pure organic rosewater spray is also a comforting addition to your routine, and will soothe and hydrate problem skin throughout the day. Pack your diet with fresh fruits and vegetables which have a dose of antioxidants and a high water content to get some goodness from the inside out. 

Hair Horrors 

Ongoing stress can result in damage to your crowning glory, too. Stress hormones trigger your hair follicles to switch from the ‘growing’ phase to the ‘shedding’ phase quicker, speeding up it’s natural cycle and leaving you comparing hair loss treatments. There are lots of treatments out there which may be able to help, from pre-shampoo strengthening treatments to deep conditioners and hair densifying spray. The good news is that when the cause of stress is resolved, the hair loss should go back to normal

You’ve Got It Nailed 

Horizontal grooves and ridges accompanied by weaker nails prone to breakage – stress is not a friend of your nails. Vertical marks are fairly normal, but if you see horizontal grooves, consider getting it checked out by a health provider as this can sometimes signify a more serious condition, such as vascular disease, or diabetes, and you should rule this out. A nail strengthening base coat can help, as can adding skin, hair and nails chewable supplements to your basket next time you see them. Try a proactive approach to stress management to, such as taking up yoga and learning some deep breathing exercises.