Stress + Aging

This month, we’re opening with a new theme: #balance. March is going to be all about how we can bring more balance into our beauty and wellness routine. What things can we add in to even out the scales? What things need to be removed to achieve balance?

With that being said, our first blog of March is going to be on Stress + Aging. 

Stress often seems like a mythical creature, something that we know is “bad”, and probably have our own ideas on whether or not we have too much of it in our lives. Whether it’s anxiety about what you’re experiencing at that moment, worry about the future, or stressing about things that have already happened, sometimes it’s inevitable that our cortisol levels are going to rise, our moods are going to fall, and we might need to find ways to restore ourselves back to calm.

Now, if you’re like me, a good spa weekend can do this best. But sometimes we don’t have enough time or money for that, so we’re going to talk about some simple but effective ways you can come back to calm, without having to treat yourself to a big spa excursion. And, let’s also acknowledge that these won’t work for everybody: depending on your experiences and whatever issues you might be dealing with, you might need to seek out more extra help. This blog is simply about ways you can deal with the day-to-day stressors we all experience. 

Before we dive into the fixes, let’s talk a little about what stress is, and what it does to our body. One of the definitions of stress that best fits the human experience is: a state of mental or emotional strain or tension resulting from adverse or very demanding circumstances.

To be fair, we all know this isn’t true: our experiences don’t have to be “very demanding” in order to cause stress. Sometimes it’s running a few minutes behind, or getting cut off on the freeway. I think we can all agree that the “emotional strain and tension” part is pretty par for the course, though. Your shoulders tighten, you stop breathing properly, and suddenly you’re feeling frustrated and/or overwhelmed. Or, for some people it’s just a general sense of agitation. 

Unfortunately, our body doesn’t like to be stressed all the time. Your body is your friend, and it can cope with some things here and there: a big project at work, dealing with the parking lot at Trader Joe’s, etc. Chronic stress, however, actually speeds up the aging process. Long story short, it affects your DNA, causing parts of it to shorten prematurely, which decreases your overall cellular function. In other words, it’ll cause you to look older faster, feel older faster, and can quite literally shorten lifespan.

Even thinking about this for too long can make you feel stress about feeling stressed (#stressception) so never fear! We’re moving on to the ways you can combat stress. Even if you just have a few minutes every day, you’ll be able to find ways to increase your moments of calm, at the very least. 

Meditate

I know, I know. This is such a loaded word. And meditation is hard. You keep thinking about how completely full your mind is, and how it’s supposed to be empty, and your legs are hurting, and then you look at your phone and it’s only been two minutes. Luckily, that isn’t the only way to meditate. Instead, try this: sit however you’re most comfortable (in a chair, on the floor, in your bed, etc) and inhale to the count of ten. Hold for a count of ten, and then exhale for a count of ten. Pause after your exhalation, and then start the cycle over. Try to do this six to twelve times. If you can’t go to ten, try eight, or five. This can be done anywhere, anytime. Don’t worry if your mind is all over the place; just make sure you’re counting out your breaths. You can have your eyes open, or closed, whatever makes you feel most comfortable. An extra benefit is that you can do this in the car, at a desk, in the checkout line, wherever you want. I’d recommend trying to create a space during the day where you can just do this breathing exercise and nothing else, but it’s really up to whatever works best for you. You’ll receive major benefits however you do it!

Move

This is another one of those basics. This doesn’t require a lot: just get up from your desk every hour or so and go walk for two minutes, or even just stretch up and then bend over and touch your does. Just move. Think about how you wake up in the morning, how yummy that first stretch of the day is. The point is to try to become aware of the body so you’re not stuck in the mind. After staring at a computer screen for a few hours, we all become a little dazed and out of balance. Reconnecting with your body allows you to come down from all of the hard work your brain has been doing and relax a little. 

An added bonus is if you can exercise regularly, by doing things like taking a yoga class, going for a hike (or just a walk!) or even incorporating some simple stretches before you go to bed. This doesn’t need to be a hardcore fitness experience; it just needs to engage your body in a way that takes you out of the stress of the mind and into your body. 

Try Tapping

A therapist taught me this one: cross your hands over your body with hands on the shoulders (think of it like a mummy--right hand on left shoulder, left hand on right shoulder). Using your fingertips gently tap each shoulder, going back and forth between the two. In other words, tap right-left-right-left, instead of tapping both shoulders at the same time. This engages both sides of your brain, causing them to work together. Usually, when we experience stress, anxiety, or panic, it’s on one side of the brain, so by practicing this bilateral tapping, you’ll get the two sides of your brain talking to each other again, and it instantly helps you relax. You only need to do it for a few minutes, or as long as it takes for you to feel calmer. Enjoy!

Use Aromatherapy

There’s research coming out that shows aromatherapy can actually change brainwaves, and affect our levels of stress hormones. One of the most popular scents is lavender, but I’d recommend seeing what you’re most drawn to. I love neroli-infused oil that I can dab directly onto my wrists and behind my earlobes. Some people find citrus scents like lemon and tangerine to be incredibly refreshing. Have fun exploring, find what you love, and then use it! Either dab some on throughout the day, or diffuse it. Make sure the oil is safe to apply directly on the skin (some are; some aren’t) and if they aren’t what’s called “neat”, meaning they can be applied directly, then either purchase the oil pre-mixed with a carrier oil, or use another carrier oil to dilute it before applying. I’d also recommend buying a high quality essential oil, since cheaper oils can be processed in ways that will make them less therapeutic and potentially irritating to the skin and lungs, depending on how it's used. 

Create To Do Lists

This is a fantastic way to feel more productive and capable. Start by writing out what absolutely has to get done; what would be really helpful to get done; and then things you’d like to get done, but if they don’t, it’s okay for it to wait until tomorrow.

By creating to do lists, you get to pour all of that mental anxiety from keeping track of your life into one simple list of priorities. Doing it before you go to bed at night also helps you sleep better; it allows you to escape from the process of trying to fall asleep but thinking “okay, when I get up I need to do x, then y, then z.” Instead, put it on your list, and then let it go. If you’re falling asleep and something else comes up? Keep your list by your bed, either on your phone or on paper, and quickly add it to the list, then let it go again. I promise you this is a great way to fall asleep more easily, let go of the nagging stress of thinking about what you have to do, and also be more productive. Plus, there’s nothing quite so satisfying as putting a checkmark next to a task you’ve completed!

At the end of the day, these are just a few of our favorite options for destressing. Make sure to always try new things and see what works for you! For some people, maybe it’s doing their facial rolling every night like we talked about here. For others it might be something more traditional, like going for a run. And still others love trying things like crystals. It’s whatever helps you best! Wherever you’re at in your journey of destressing, try some of these methods, and see what happens. Let us know if you find you have a little bit less stress and a little bit more #balance in your life after you do!

The author of this blog, Layla Hanson, is a writer and project manager for Infinity Aesthetics, specializing in holistic media production. You can see her popping in and out of the office from time to time to snap photos for our Instagram and website. Feel free to say hi and offer to pose for a picture!