Is my skin stressed out?

by SHYMA
(India)

I am a 26 year old working woman (Indian). My lifestyle is very hectic, with deadlines at work and long hours spent traveling. After visiting your site, I have begun to drink more water and sleep at least 7-8 hrs a day. I have combination skin - (more dry than oily) which is a bit sensitive (gets immediately impacted by sun exposure, stress and poor diet). I eat 1-2 fruits and drink 2 lts of water a day. My diet is moderately healthy with wholewheat bread, white rice, a few veggies and some chicken. I don't exercise much, except for some waist bending exercise and walking once a week.

I mostly use homemade remedies and mild products on my skin. Although I am generally careful with what i use on my face, I might be sometimes overdoing things to my face out of anxiety. I do not suffer any specific skin problems except that my skin looks on dull, tired and stressed out. Sometimes it looks unhealthy even after I have slept enough, eaten enough (I am slightly underweight) and drunk enough water. where do you think I am going wrong? Any advice would be deeply appreciated. I am planning to incorporate basic yoga (about 20 mins) into my routine. Thanks in advance.

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Our reply

Hi Shymya, and thank you for your message. First, congratulations on all the things you are doing for your skincare and your health! These are a great start, and it may be that just a few gentle adjustments to your daily routine may be enough to brighten your skin tone and bring more radiance to your skin.

These are suggestions, however you will have to see how your body responds, as each of us is quite unique in our individual needs. I would recommend making just one or two changes at a time, and seeing how they go. My free eBook Clear Any Skin Problem Naturally has some suggestions on how to make gradual changes to your daily routine.

Here is what I would recommend as a start:

• Find a way to eat more vegetables. These can be raw or cooked, and can be eaten in a variety of ways such as salads, steamed, in fresh juices or smoothies. Vegetables are great for the skin, and the key is to find those that you enjoy eating and that your body responds well to.
  
  
• I think that the daily yoga or other physical activity will make a big difference for you and your skin. Exercise has a profoundly rejuvenating effect on the body and can help a lot when you are dealing with stress.
  
  
• When you have sensitive skin, less is more, and so trying a lot of different skincare products, or even using lots of different skin care recipes at the same time can create more irritation. This is challenging because our skincare needs do change over time, and so there will be times when you need to use something different on your skin.
  
  Sometimes it can take a while to find what works best for your skin, and also to learn how your skin responds to change. I encourage you to find a few recipes or products that work well for your skin, and stay with them for at least a month before making a change. That may help, and create less likelihood of a skin reaction. Once you have a few products or recipes that work well, you can rotate them if your skin can tolerate this. My own experience with skincare products is that some types do not mix well with others, and so it is a learning process.
  

I hope these suggestions are helpful for your Shyma. Please do stay in touch and let us know how you are doing and what you have learned!