Top tips for Managing your stress and your skin with UpCircle
Guest author: UpCircle
Stress is responsible for all sorts of mental and physical problems and the skin is no exception – it reacts to stress. There are many skin conditions caused by stress and anxiety (like rosacea) and stress can even make existing conditions such as psoriasis and eczema worse.
If your skin is either sensitive or easily reactive then you’ll know what we mean, stress will show on your skin. That’s before you take into account that when you are stressed, you’re more likely to skip both your normal skincare and the self-care routines which keep you healthy. Nightmare!
Knowing how much stress can affect your skin, at UpCircle we’ve put together a guide of our top stress management tips for The Plastic Free Life blog. These tips won’t just help your skin, but your overall wellbeing too!
STRESS MANAGEMENT TIPS
1. Practice Daily Skin Self Care
A daily routine isn’t just great for your skin, it will help you feel grounded, and will signal to your brain that it’s time to relax. You’re worth the time it takes, don’t forget to remind yourself of that. If you’re new to the concept of a skincare self-care routine, then you may find one of the UpCircle step-by-step guides helpful.
If your skin is particularly reactive to stress, then you’ll need to pay extra attention to practising your skin self-care daily. The UpCircle Ultimate Face Bundle is the perfect place to start to get everything you need to look after your skin at all times.
2. Don't neglect your sleep needs
When we’re stressed, there is never enough time in the day. Where easier to steal that from than sleeping hours? Without a good night’s sleep, because you’re lying awake worrying, or simply cramming more into your day, stress will soon reign supreme.
Find the perfect way to wind down in the evening. Phone in the drawer, a relax in the bath, or a chai spice candle burning while you smother yourself in skincare? Hey, each to their own, right? An evening routine will help you nod off when you head to bed.
3. Be active in the day time
Easier said than done when you’re stressed & short for time but make time every day to exercise. Not only will exercise help calm & slow your thoughts, but it will burn off the stress hormones like cortisol.
4. Eat & Eat Well
When you’re stressed, eating badly contributes to a vicious cycle. Foods such as chamomile tea, matcha and garlic are all supposed to help manage stress but a generally healthy & well balanced diet will help combat some of the side effects of stress. No chamomile tea to hand? Try a spritz of the UpCircle Toner made with repurposed chamomile extract.
5. Make Valuable Connections
With the impact of Covid-19 on society, it’s hard to keep your usual support networks and connections going. Even after lockdown lifted, it’s so important to make a conscious effort to maintain consistent support. A strong support network is vital to reducing the impact of stress.
Chat with a loved one, or head out for a bracing walk with a good friend - you’ll start to feel your stress fading away. Even better, laughing is as good for reducing stress as it is good for your skin! The increased blood supply as you exercise your facial muscles will give you a healthy glow.
6.Take a time out
We all have different ways to help us unwind at the end of the day. Taking time to relax can help bring your stress levels down a notch or two. If you’re still working from home, make sure you have space away from the pressure of work & the constant demands of family life. This could be an hour with a good book or quality time cooking a favourite recipe. Find what works for you, and incorporate these daily self-care habits into your routine.
7. Look outside yourself
Take 5 minutes to think about how stressed you are & suddenly everything will seem worse. Instead, think of ways you can look beyond the stress. This could be a career-based goal which requires learning, an active volunteering role or a personal challenge that means something to you.
Volunteering has been found to have many positive effects on your wellbeing so it’s a great way help reduce stress if you can commit the time to spare.
8. Get out in Nature
Green space is great for mental health, not just combating stress – the more time you spend in green spaces the more benefits for your mental health. Urban dwellers can have a particularly tough time protecting their skin against skin pollution. By getting out into green spaces and the countryside, not only can you help yourself to manage your stress levels, but even your immune function can be improved.
9. Learn to manage your stress
From yoga to mindfulness there are so many options for learning stress management techniques, find one you enjoy & keep at it
10. Accept what you cannot change, be positive about the rest
Lastly, a lot of stress management is about your mind set. Take control where you can but also learn to accept the things that you simply cannot change. For example, at the moment, large numbers are at risk of redundancy. There’s little you can do about this. Accept it is outside of your control, and focus your energies on what you can control about the situation, such as your new job search. And remember to think positively. If you find that’s tough, perhaps start a daily gratitude list.
By taking on board some of these stress management tips, you’ll also feel more in control. Stress has a nasty habit of snowballing. Stop stress at the source using the tips above and you’ll see it start to subside. Not only will your skin thank you, but your entire wellbeing will also improve.
About UpCircle
Back in 2015, we had a thought: if we’re throwing away a cafetière full of coffee grounds every morning, how much is going to waste from coffee shops all over London? A lot, as it turns out. So we decided to do something about it. We needed a way to give those coffee grounds a new lease of life. And UpCircle was born. We began our journey collecting coffee grounds from one coffee shop, we now collect from hundreds of coffee houses across London – our list is always growing!
Creating a positive environmental impact is at the heart of what we do here at UpCircle. We want to leave the world better than we found it. When it comes to the environment we are constantly bombarded with intimidating doom and gloom headlines. The scale of the problem can feel so daunting that it’s all too easy to give up before you’ve even begun. So, at UpCircle, we try to focus on positive change and keep an “every little helps” mentality.
And as well as being 100% natural, our skincare range is also 100% brilliant. Because you shouldn't have to choose between doing the right thing and getting the best results. With UpCircle, you get to enjoy the uplifting benefits of nature's own skin rejuvenators - and do the planet some good, too.