Stress-Related Acne? Here’s How to Avoid Breakouts During the Holiday Season
Rushing on gifting
And planning big dinners
Loud opinionated uncles and nosey life questions
Lots of frustration tied up with sealed lips
These are a few of my (least) favorite (holiday) things
Ok, so sometimes the holidays are too stressful for our own liking, but there’s nothing like a spin on “My Favorite Things” to lighten the heavy load.
While there’s so much to be grateful for, sometimes the holidays can be down right stressful.
Between controversial family members (lucky you if you don’t have them!), heated political arguments, or just too many personal questions you have no idea how to answer, reuniting with family and old friends can sometimes spark stressful and anxious feelings.
And, if you have stress-related acne, then this can be an absolute nightmare. So, how do you survive the holidays while keeping cool, calm and collected, and avoiding breakouts?
It’s all in the mindset
Even during the holidays when we’re expected to do and give so much, you still gotta do you.
You have to stick to your non-negotiables, commit to your self-care routine and respect your boundaries.
We experience the most stress when we decide to put ourselves second. Between all the holiday parties, family gatherings and end-of-year deadlines, crippled with cold and unmotivating weather, it can be easy to let our self-care commitments slip. Or, completed drop off.
The key to avoiding stress and staying breakout-free is sticking to a routine that helps manage stress and prioritize self-care.
I’m not talking about Netflix-all-day-do-whatever-I-want self-care. I mean the tame-your-inner-child-and-be-your-own-parent kind of self-care. And, that looks like this:
Meditation
If you’re prone to stress-related breakouts, then meditation should be at the top of your self-care list.
Not only does meditation reduce stress, but it also manages anxiety, strengthens emotional health, increases self-awareness, enhances memory and straight up makes you a kinder person.
You don’t have to meditate for hours to receive these benefits. Meditating for as little as 10 minutes everyday can do wonders for your mental, emotional and spiritual health.
Before you make excuses as to why you “can’t” meditate, create a little meditation corner in your home and start with one to five minutes of meditation everyday, slowly increasing your time. There’s no need to rush this process!
Movement
Getting the body moving is crucial for controlling stress. Plus, a little sweat is great for those pores!
Whether you want to hit the gym hard, enjoy a gentle yoga for stress relief session, run for 20 minutes or commit to 30 minutes of brisk walking, engaging in movement comes in so many different forms.
Bottom line: there’s plenty of exercises for stress management. Engage in whatever activity you want— just get moving!
You don’t have to start doing vigorous and intense workouts, or sign up for a gym membership. You can easily Google “simple yoga poses to relieve stress,” and incorporate what you find into your at home yoga routine.
But, if you want to hit a hard workout, sweat is great for cleaning out those pores. Just note that hanging around in your sweat can promote more breakouts. So, after your sweat session, don’t wait too long to shower after.
Gratitude
You know what they say: count your blessings, not your problems.
Taking the time to focus on gratitude everyday can help lower stress by helping you recognize the true abundance in your life.
Often times, you focus on the negative far more than the positive, making our problems and worries seem bigger than they actually are.
Taking 10 minutes out of your day to write down what you’re grateful for can lower stress, improve mood and enhance your relationships!
Saying no
It’s ok to say no.
I’m going to say this louder for those who didn’t hear me in the back…
IT IS OK TO SAY NO.
By not using that little two-lettered word, you are setting yourself up for stress.
During the holiday season, we tend to say yes to everything so we don’t let anyone down. Suddenly, we have taken on a ridiculous amount of responsibilities and commitments, leaving no time to take care of ourselves!
As if time management isn’t stress enough, rushing around to parties, events and family dinners that you don’t even want to go to in the first place is guaranteed to spike your stress levels.
Before you say “yes,” think of the true cost of the commitment. If it depletes you of your well being, then it costs too much.
Healthy eating
Sometimes when we’re stressed, we reach for the worst food possible. While we think this food will make us feel better, it actually makes everything worse.
That candy, cake or cookie won’t help you through your problems. On the contrary, the sugar will cause you to breakout even more, which will make you even more stressed out!
Sticking to a healthy diet is HUGE for managing stress. Plus, using food as fuel will help you get through the holidays with more energy and will help you stay committed to your self-care routine.
Of course, you can indulge in some sweet and delicious holiday treats, but try to keep it in moderation. Sugar weakens your body’s ability to manage stress, which isn’t great for those who are prone to stress-related breakouts.
So, if you feel like you can’t get a grip on your emotional state, re-evaluate your diet.
Using the right products
While sticking to your self-care routine can help lower stress and prevent breakouts, you also need to take care of your skin!
Using personalized, chemical-free and acne-specific skin care products is essential for optimizing skin health.
While choosing the right products is important, committing to a consistent skin care routine is essential.
You can have the best products, but if you use them every few days, then you won’t see results! Once you’ve found the products that are right for you, be sure to stick to a morning and nightly skin care routine!
Which brings us to...
Morning and night routines
How do you welcome and close each day?
If you wake up and immediately hop on your phone to start scrolling, chances are you aren’t going to feel great about yourself for the rest of the day. C’mon...looking at everyone’s curated lives on Instagram isn’t going to make you feel motivated!
Instead, try giving yourself a full hour for your morning and night routines. This designates time solely for yourself and your growth, which is incredibly important during the holidays when we tend to spread ourselves so thin.
Here’s a couple examples of what your morning and night routines can look like.
Morning Routine
- 6:30 am — wake up
- 6:30am - 6:45am — gentle yoga flow
- 6:45am - 7am — skin care routine
- 7am - 7:15am — meditate
- 7:15am - 7:30am — gratitude journaling
Night Routine
- 9:30pm - 9:45pm — bedtime yoga flow
- 9:45pm - 10pm — skin care routine
- 10pm - 10:15pm — reflection journaling
- 10:15pm - 10:45pm — read
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