Stress is written all over our face and can result in
looking years older when stressed for prolonged periods of time.
The routine stressors in our lives really impact how fast or
slow we age. When stressed, we see it in our skin tone, texture, elasticity,
and over all glow.
Here are Ways Stress is Written All Over Your Face:
1. You have dark
circles
Stress results in blood flow to main organs plus capillaries
under eyes are fragile and break under stress leaving your face looking sallow
and tired. Dark circles seem more apparent.
2. Mini-Menopause
The jury is still out on exactly how or if this is possible,
but it appears that the constant flow of cortisol that goes along with chronic
stress causes a dip in estrogen, one that mimics, on a smaller scale, the dip
that occurs during menopause. Less estrogen means less collagen and less
moisture. So, while estrogen levels may not drop enough to shut down your cycle,
stress may make them dip enough to make your skin look dull and dry.
3. You notice more
wrinkles
Life’s stress due to divorce, death of loved one, job-loss,
financial concerns; impacts our brain chemistry. When we feel sad or anxious,
are crying or not sleeping well it’s common to see deeper lines around the
middle of the eyes, forehead, under eye area and mouth.
4. You itch, flake
and even have hives
Stress leads to inflammation which may lead to rashes,
rosacea, eczema flare ups and changes in skin moisture.
5. People ask if
you’re feeling okay
When the Starbucks barista or guy at the dry cleaners asks
if you’re feeling okay, pay attention. These people may not know the details of
your life but they know how you look because they see you quickly.
6. Under-Eye Bags
Tomorrow's to-do list can weigh on your mind, keeping you
from getting enough beauty sleep. This can cause fluid to pool below your lower
eyelid area, and what you end up with is a puffy mess in the a.m. Stomach
sleepers, bad news: You can expect the puffiness of your under-eye bags to be
even worse because of gravity.
7. Increased jaw size
– Heavy jaw
Grinding teeth and clenching of the jaw are common symptoms
of stress. Unfortunately, these habits can cause the jaw muscles to work
overtime. This can result not only in damaged teeth, but also a heavier than
usual jawline, as the muscles become larger with the grinding action.
8. Hair Loss
Stress can cause sudden hair loss by literally flipping the
switch on the hair follicle’s growth stage from an active to a resting phase.
Once the follicle enters this resting phase prematurely, it stays there for
about three months, after which time a large amount of hair will be shed. When
you experience an overall shedding of hair, you must cast back a few months to
find the trigger. Rest assured that in most women, this hair will grow back.
9. Adult Acne
Acne isn’t just for hormonally crazed teenagers. Many adults
can’t seem to outgrow it because of stress hormones. What makes it worse is
that tense people often can’t leave pimples alone. Squeezing, poking and
picking at them becomes an almost obsessive way to release tension, but it also
makes breakouts worse, exacerbating the inflammatory response, and you’re left
feeling a bit more stressed. So no picking
10. Hormonal Mood
Swings
There is a lot of interaction between hormone physiology and
mood that works both ways. Our mood can impact our physiology, and our
physiology can influence the balance of our hormones. If stress can sit at the
top of a cascade of events that lead to undesirable hormonal changes in the
body (like those that trigger insomnia, insatiable hunger and weight gain, and
collagen breakdown), then what we want to do is find ways to gain the upper
hand on our stress level and ensure that we keep all those hormones in check.
The good news is that we can get to the root cause of our
stress and manage it. When you notice changes in your facial appearance take
inventory of what is going on in your life and what may be stressing you out.
Simple things like sitting quietly for 10 minutes focusing
on breathing, writing in a journal, exercising or taking a walk outside,
reading, baking, painting, listening to music - any activity that takes focus
off the stress is helpful.
There definitely is a connection between how we look and how
we feel.
If you find yourself constantly reverting back to the
stressful issue, you may want to consider speaking to someone like a counselor.
~Jennifer
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