How Mental Wellness Impacts Well-Being + Skin Health

Disclaimer: This content is for informational purposes only and not intended as medical advice to replace medical or psychiatric care. Consult a qualified professional regarding health-related matters.

Coming out of the holiday season and entering the New Year – let’s preserve the spirit of the holidays by focusing on our well-being. Aspiring to maintain perfect balance is easier said than done. From work, the economy, and global concerns to our personal lives, you can’t miss the anxiety and stress levels wherever you go. Mental wellness is essential for a healthy, balanced, and fulfilling life and can impact your physical health and skin condition. When your mental state is in check, your skin looks clearer and more vibrant. But, when our mental health is challenged, it triggers and compounds conditions like acne, aging, and rosacea.

Mental Health and Wellness
According to the CDC, mental wellness refers to “our emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It affects how we think, feel, and act. It also determines how we handle stress, relate to others, and make healthy choices.” Barring clinical mental health issues, such as diagnosed depression or other mood disorders that can impair daily functioning, there is a lot that we can do to improve our health and mental wellness. When you feel mentally well, your physical wellness and health improve. This is due to the mind body connection. Conversely, those who are depressed tend to reduce physical activity, consume unhealthy foods, and avoid family and friends, factors that can contribute to health conditions like diabetes, heart disease, and obesity.

Take Action For Wellness
Engaging in activities that you find meaningful and enjoyable boosts your happiness quotient. You can take several different actions to help act your way into better thinking (and feeling). Here are some ways to give your total wellness a boost:

Journal: Some believe it is crucial to put pen to paper when journaling as this physical action solidifies the mind and body connection. But whatever helps you write about how you feel, we’re all for it! Unsure where to begin? List things you like about yourself and your daily self-care actions. Perhaps you are kind to others and pay your bills on time. Or you may like the wave of your hair or you can congratulate yourself for remembering to take vitamins. If you can only list a few things, that’s ok! The fact that you took the time to invest in your mental health belongs at the top of your list and serves as a valuable benchmark for your upcoming progress.
Include a gratitude list. While coming up with a list of things you are grateful for can be difficult when you feel depressed or ill. Look around you for something small - even the basics that we tend to take for granted deserve our appreciation. Imagine what our lives would be like without electricity! Thank you, Thomas Edison!

Reluctant to take time out for yourself? Schedule journaling on your calendar so that you treat it like other important appointments – because it is! Like exercise, practicing this wellness habit daily will gradually strengthen your mental mettle!

Positive Affirmations: Include positive affirmations in your daily routine to rewire de-motivating thought patterns. Some people look at themselves in the mirror and say, “I love you.” But if you find this too outlandish or unnatural – you could ease into it by saying, “I am discovering things I like about myself,” instead. Here’s one we like:

The goal is to reprogram negative self-talk, overriding it with a positive, loving voice. Studies have proven that affirmations increase neural pathways relating to positive valuation. As you repeat this habit daily, your subconscious continues hearing this validation, and you will grow to believe the messaging. Over time, a more positive attitude will develop, which, combined with a focus on physical and spiritual wellness, adds up to vibrant and glowing skin health.

Exercise: Getting moving is the ultimate example of the brain and body connection, as physical activities flood your brain with endorphins. These feel-good neurotransmitters improve your mood and help boost physical wellness. Try biking, hiking, running, swimming, pickleball, team sports, yoga, and anything else that gets your blood pumping.

Find a Hobby: Working on ourselves doesn’t need to be drudgery. Recreation is a vital part of improving well-being. Aside from the adage “all work and no play makes a dull boy” we’d like to add that play benefits us emotionally, mentally, and physically, as it reduces stress. Pick up that paintbrush or charcoal, find a local Karaoke spot to sing your heart out, kick up your heels in your living room, or play a game. Not your speed? Tuck in with that novel on your bucket list or try something new until you find a hobby you are passionate about – and remember to set aside time weekly to play.

Volunteer: Helping others is proven to help decrease anxiety and low moods, ensuring a better quality of life. Getting out of your head through acts of service knocks stress levels down and boosts self-esteem. If you can’t commit to a volunteer position, find ways to inspire and be kind to others you encounter daily. Taking time to give compliments and show appreciation for others creates an aura of gratitude and positivity. When people respond with a smile, you can feel good about contributing to their happy feelings.

Visit with Family and Friends: You are not alone – we are all in this thing called life together. Acknowledge and share what you are feeling with friends and supportive family members. If necessary, seek help from a mental health professional to help get you back on track.

Change Your Playground: If something or someone in your life isn’t aligned with who you’re becoming, consider changing your environment. That may mean letting go of unhealthy relationships or activities by saying no to social invitations, people, or events that bring you down. We don’t need to fault others in this process. You have the right to determine what works for you and what doesn’t, with the option of changing your mind at any time. Be gentle with yourself if you regress and reset your boundaries again. There is no grade or race for your level of progress.

Breathe Deeply: Deep breathing powerfully forces you to slow down, pay attention to your body, and relax, improving your mental state. Include aromatherapy with essential oils proven to bring down anxiety and multiply the calming benefits. With every inhale and exhale, you are boosting health. When you breathe, your skin breathes – oxygenating your mind and body. As you become accustomed to deep breathing, you will be able to have longer sessions that give your skin a greater chance to absorb all the elements in your body and your soul.

Embrace Spirituality: Understand that spirituality is open to each person’s own interpretation and can be embraced in our own unique way. Some find acknowledging the presence of an unnamed power or entity greater than themselves, like Mother Nature or the universe, to be a solid beginning. You might feel spiritual when deeply connecting with another person or witnessing a natural miracle. Or perhaps it is finally “hearing” that life lesson you weren’t ready to hear before. If you are religious, by all means, continue calling on the higher power or God of your understanding to enhance your spiritual wellness.  

Try Meditation: Meditation bridges the connection between mind and body, helping you tap into your spirituality, and improve mental and physical wellness. It fosters relaxation and slows breathing, opening your mind and body to answers to questions or prayers and receiving healing energy. Meditation comes in many forms such as focusing on breath, repeating a mantra or prayer, envisioning a calming image or place, or simply watching your thoughts. Find a method that works for you and avoid judging the process. Studies show that meditation helps reduce high blood pressure, insomnia, menopausal symptoms, pain, depression, anxiety, and other mood disorders while improving concentration and assisting with addiction recovery.

Stay Present: Find it hard to be still? Then, try engaging your senses mindfully when following your skincare routine. Paying attention to touch, sounds, smells, and sights will help you slow down, and squash regrets about the past and worries about the future, bringing your attention to today. Mindfulness is ideal for those who have difficulty settling onto the floor and quieting their minds. Plus, it helps you care for your skin, your largest organ, simultaneously! Here’s how:

• Notice the temperature of the water when cleansing
• Listen to it cascading out of the faucet as you rinse
• Feel the different textures of the products
• Pay attention to how you feel as you lightly massage in your serum and moisturizer
• Smell the aroma of your face moisturizer products as you apply them
• See the refreshed difference in your skin when you are finished

Skin Wellness
Perhaps you have been developing a more positive mindset, but are still struggling with breakouts, rosacea flare-ups, or worry lines. Chances are your mental wellness may still not be where you’d hoped.Make your wellness mission complete by giving yourself an equally healthy face from Pevonia:

Breakouts: Acne affects up to 50 million Americans yearly and can significantly impact on a person’s confidence and mental state. For a New, Clear-Control you, the ProCorrective® Clear-Control Acne Collection captures the essence of skinimalism in a clean skincare for acne routine that delivers science backed results. With just four plant based products (an exfoliating wash, blemished spot treatment, blemish cream, and acne mask), it removes impurities, clears pores, soothes, and improves the skin’s appearance – so that your outsides will look as healthy as your insides.

Rosacea: Stress and stress-related conditions trigger rosacea flare-ups that can be controlled with our RS2 Collection. Green Tea, Rose, Licorice, and Chamomile, combined with stress management, will help calm without redness and irritation, cool skin heat, and help strengthen and constrict capillaries.

Worry-lines: Forehead furrows and crow’s feet developed through years of worry and stress may belie your newfound mental wellness. Escutox, a blend of Hibiscus Esculentus (Okra) Extract and Algae Oligosaccharides in our Myoxy-Caviar Timeless Repair Serum, Timeless Eye Contour, and moisturizing cream relaxes and smooths wrinkles by inhibiting neuromuscular contractions.

Want to maximize results for your healthiest skin ever? Boost skin health with an in-depth consultation for your ideal products and professional treatments. Find your clarity with the ProCorrective® Clear-Control Blemished Skin Treatment, Rosacea Mask Treatment, or Myoxy-Caviar® Mask Treatment. Visit Find A Spa for an oasis near you offering Pevonia!