Ever feel like your skin is a mirror to your every mood?
It's fascinating how the simplest things—a sudden change in weather, an unexpectedly high grocery bill, mischievous kids, or even a neglected pile of laundry—can set off a cascade of effects on our skin and cause psoriasis flare ups.
As it turns out, this is not just a wacky coincidence. In fact, it's a well-documented phenomenon. According to the International Institute of Dermatology, a significant percentage—ranging from 31% to 88%—of individuals with psoriasis report stress as a known trigger for their condition.
Chances are, you're already familiar with this connection. Today though, let's focus on something different. Because let's face it, a calm mind equals calmer skin, and that's what we're all here for, right?
So, buckle up for a trip to the Mindscape, one of my favorite tools for lowering your stress levels.
Introducing “The Mindscape”
Here’s the gist of it:
Sit somewhere, imagine a place, and start building in as much detail as possible.
Imagine the sensation of what’s under your butt and what you’re leaning on.
Imagine the sounds that you hear - and I mean everything. Think about what you might hear, whether it be a busy intersection in New York or the chirping songbird in the middle of the woods.
Build a scene in front of your eyes. Start with the big scene, and focus on the little details like the color of the light reflecting off of the waves on the lake, or the colors of the shirts people are wearing.
Once you have built your scene, start noticing the smaller details.
If you find that your thoughts start to wander, gently bring them back to the scene you are building.
Finally, when your scene is built, bring your focus back to yourself and notice your breathing. Notice how the air feels as it exits your nose, and feel your chest rising and falling.
Keep breathing and exploring your mindscape.
When you feel ready, open up your eyes. You should feel vitalized, relaxed, and hopefully a little less stressed.
Please let us know if you try it out, and we’d love to hear what kind of scenes you build up in your mind.
Best regards for happy skin,
The SkinCalm Team
