Have you ever experienced a breakout just before an important event, or noticed your skin worsening during a particularly stressful time?
Have you gone through something truly unpleasant or shocking, only to find your acne flaring up afterwards?
All of this is often thanks to stress!
Today, we're going to discuss the connection between stress and acne
Stress means tension, pressure, or strain. Every time we experience physical, mental, or emotional stress, a part of the brain called the hypothalamus releases neurotransmitters that stimulate the adrenal glands to produce the hormone cortisol.
The adrenal glands are endocrine glands located on top of the kidneys and produce important hormones that regulate stress and metabolism. This is where the idea originates that chronic stress can lead to weight gain, but that’s another topic.
When cortisol is released
When cortisol is released, the body reacts—various hormonal reactions are triggered, some of which directly increase sebum secretion, and this is a serious cause of acne. The worst part is that a vicious cycle is created because stress worsens acne, and then the pimples and inflamed skin lead to even more stress.
If you’ve been trying to cure acne for a long time, you’ve probably read or heard that stress is related to it. Maybe you didn’t take it seriously enough because it didn’t seem that important. It’s time to believe it because chronic stress is one of the main reasons your skin condition keeps getting worse.
The release of cortisol (the hormone that regulates stress) typically happens at certain times of the day.
In a completely healthy person with “strong” adrenal glands, cortisol levels are highest around 8 AM and 4 PM, and lowest during the night while sleeping. In this case, the person wakes up easily, starts the day with enthusiasm, has enough energy throughout the day, and enjoys restful sleep.
This can become problematic for people who have been under chronic stress for a long time. It’s possible for cortisol levels to remain the same throughout the day or peak during the night. In this situation, problems with sleep arise, feelings of fatigue set in, motivation is lacking, daytime drowsiness increases, and anxiety levels rise.
So, if acne is a part of your life, it is crucial to learn how to manage stress. There are two key directions: first, eliminate, as much as possible, the things that burden and stress you, and second, find time and methods to relax and unwind effectively.
I will give you 3 important steps that I hope will help you have a calmer daily life:
Step #1: Minimize Stress
Try to remove all the factors you know are harmful to you and over which you have control.
Step #2: Increase Your Stress Resilience:
- Physical Resilience: This means eating regularly, with breakfast being especially important to balance your hormones; exercising regularly without overloading your body; getting enough sleep, rest, and relaxation time; and dedicating enough time to the things you love and that make you feel good. These basic elements support your physical health, and when you’re under more pressure, you’re much more stable.
- Mental and Emotional Resilience: This refers to how you perceive and react to everything negative around you – news, events, situations. It’s about whether you see the world as a hostile place or if you feel like you’re in a safe and friendly environment. It’s also about whether negative emotions resonate within you, causing constant and unrelenting stress.
“Building mental and emotional resilience is perhaps one of the most powerful ways to cope with stress and improve the quality of your life.”
To achieve this, you can use various techniques and methods to work with emotions and negative behavior patterns – such as meditation, EFT (Emotional Freedom Techniques), gratitude practices, and more.
Personally, I love working with flower essences, which have helped me so much in overcoming many of the emotional blockages that prevented me from living peacefully and without inner discomfort and tension – feelings of guilt, different fears, shame, the sense of not being good enough, the feeling that you can’t handle life, or that you’re alone, etc.
Find your own way and make time for it daily.
Step #3: restoring and supporting the adrenal glands
There are many herbs (adaptogens) that can help support the adrenal glands. When acne is already present, caution is required when using these herbs because many of them are very powerful and stimulating, which may contribute to even more breakouts.
The herb I frequently use is holy basil or tulsi.
Drinking two cups of tulsi tea daily is a great option for calming your adrenal glands.
Again, I will emphasize that in order to maintain hormonal balance, especially during daily life filled with stress, emotional, physical, and mental load, regular meals and a mandatory breakfast are crucial.
“STRESS DOES NOT HARM US, BUT THE BODY’S REACTION TO IT DOES.”
Stress can be something positive and motivating if we have the necessary resources.
If you want to learn more about acne and how you can heal from inside, take a look at the Basics for Clear Skin course.
