With all the stresses going on today with the COVID-19 pandemic, it is very easy for all of us to feel generally very stressed and overwhelmed

For many of us, the words Self Quarantine is nothing new lately, as many of us are at home, keeping ourselves safe, disinfecting our homes and items we touch, properly social distancing from others, properly washing our hands and using hand sanitizers.

We all are working together and doing our part to slowly get our world and our communities back to normal and keeping ourselves and our families healthy & safe. 

    With all of this, naturally comes added stress & anxiety. Stress & anxiety can manifest itself in so many ways...disruptions of our sleep, our appetites, emotional outbursts, and it even can show in our skin. Our skin can show these stresses on our face and it is very important that we take extra care of ourselves, our bodies, our minds and our skin during these trying times and treat ourselves a little more tenderly.  

    We at Luxiny Skincare would like to share a few of our own tips that can help you cope with the stresses of what is going on today and what can help you feel better about you. When we do little, conscientious things for ourselves, we can each cope with stress a bit better and feel better about ourselves in the process. 

1. Go for a Walk/Enjoy the Outdoors

    Just because the word Quarantine is normal in today's world, doesn't mean we can't go outside at all. It just means you must be more mindful when doing so. Now, going for a calming, quick walk around your neighborhood can help lower stresses, it can also bring a sense of inner peace. Especially if you go for a walk where you can enjoy nature during a quiet time. A brisk walk helps burn cortisol, a stress hormone and walking also can release endorphins that help trigger an overall positive feeling. The key to it is to just enjoy it for you and get some fresh air and some sun on your face. 

2. Pamper Yourself, Your Skin & give yourself some "Me Time"

    With all of us spending more time inside, we hope there is a little extra time to spend giving ourselves some "me time". Whether that is taking a calming, soak/bath, giving ourselves a simple pedicure or just giving ourselves a daily morning & night skincare routine, "me time" is important for our inner well-being.  When you give yourself a daily skincare routine that is set in place, it can give you a better sense of control as you are following a regimen and give you a better self-sense of authority over your own time. 

    Stress can cause our skin to produce a corticotrophin-releasing hormone which causes our skin to produce more oils that lead to breakouts. By treating your skin in the morning and night with an effective skincare regimen (Like Luxiny's 4 step system  https://luxiny.com/collections/all ) you can feel more in control. By exfoliating your skin properly you can not only fight acne but also fights off and lessen the look of fine lines and wrinkles. Fine lines & wrinkles are intensified by layers of dead skin cells that build up on our skin, so a good exfoliator is a must. Free radicals can also cause unwanted acne, uneven skin tone, blackheads, and zits. There are still free radicals inside our homes that can cause havoc on our skin.

    So take some time for your skin with a regimen that exfoliates, fights acne, fights free radicals, is an antioxidant, balances normal oil production and nourishes your skin with additional vitamins is key. You will feel better knowing you are treating your skin properly. When our skin feels and looks good, it helps us feel better about ourselves, which aids as a natural destresser.  

3. Get Enough Sleep 

    When we don't get enough sleep, our levels of stress hormones rise, adding to the overall problem. Without proper sleep, our bodies feel exhausted and our brains feel foggy, concentration levels fall causing an inability to focus leading to more unwanted stress. This even can cayuse us to act out of sorts and cause us to treat those around us differently and cause us to lash out or snap-on those we love unnecessarily. So getting your proper rest is imperative to your daily and long term health as well as reducing daily stress. 

    Not getting enough sleep can also wreak havoc on our skin. Our skin, being our bodies' largest organ, shows many problems visibly on our face. We are always looking back at ourselves in the mirror and it is the first thing people see when they look at each other. Not getting enough sleep can cause acne, make our skin look dull, sullen, uneven and even inflame conditions such as psoriasis. It can also cause premature aging that causes fine lines & wrinkles. 

    If you are having a problem getting good sleep (like so many of us are these days) there are a few things you can do to help get the rest your body needs.

First...Take the time to unwind at night. 

    So many of us try to lay down in bed and think we will go straight to sleep and often lay there with thoughts racing in our heads for hours, taking away from our beauty sleep itself. Stress causes our brains to often try to solve our issues at the end of the night. Giving yourself at least 30 minutes to process your thoughts, even writing them down on a piece of paper to get them out, in a calming, relaxing and comfortable place prior to getting to sleep can help your body prepare for a good night's rest.

Second...Enjoy a cup of Herbal Tea as you prepare for bed.

    As you are preparing for bed, after you do your nighttime skincare routine, while you are in your comfortable pajamas, try to enjoy a soothing cup of herbal tea such as Chamomile, Valerian root, Lavender, Lemon balm, Passionflower or Magnolia bark. These have helped many of us get a goods night's rest and help quiet our brains so that we can fall into a good, restful sleep. Find the one that is the most enjoyable for you.

Third...Unplug & Read a Book  

    When we have trouble sleeping, make sure to unplug from our phones and TV. By doing this, we remove the artificial blue light that can cause our brains to stay powered up and ready. As you are laying in bed, after you turn off and silence your electronics, pick up a good book and read a little bit. This helps quiet your thoughts and gets your mind on something else other than your stresses  and worries. As long as it is interesting to you it will help take your mind away from the current situation and let your mind relax and ready for some well-deserved sleep.  

4. Stay away from the News & Social Media 

    With today's stresses with COVID-19, we are often stressed at things that are beyond our control and so many of the news and social media headlines and articles can add to that stress. We all want to be informed on the facts that are going on with this pandemic, but limiting your time online and limiting watching the news is a very healthy way to help destress. 

    If you do want to spend time online, spend it doing some enjoyable things such as taking virtual tours of museums, taking a virtual hike through the national parks, listen to audio-books as you cook or even viewing wild animals in real-time. There are many interesting & available things to do online in this self-quarantine time that can stimulate your mind and get it off of the stresses of today.  It is reassuring and relaxing for many of us to see that nature and the world outside our self quarantined areas are still there and thriving. 

5.  Remember to Laugh 

    Sometimes when we are stressed, it is often hard to think of laughing but we must remember that laughing can help us in so many ways. Laughter helps our bodies lower or stress response and decrease blood pressure and heart rate. Do something that makes you laugh, whether that be watching a comedy, reading a comedy joke book, or playing with your pets and seeing them get silly or watching some of the multi-million funny animal videos out there. Laughter can help our bodies and minds cope with stress and difficulties in this world. 

    Laughter can relax our minds and bodies, helping us deal with our lives and release feel-good endorphins. It also can help boost our immune systems by fighting off stress hormones. By finding something funny and laughing it can ease tension and help us all feel more balanced and level. 

We all at Luxiny would like to Thank Everyone out there who are keeping themselves, their families and others safe during this stressful time and hope this list can help aid you in coping with the stresses of today's world.

Take care of yourself, your state of mind, your skin

and each other

We will get through this Together