Dressed with stress
Stress effects everyone. Of course.
For some their weight fluctuates, for others their sleeping pattern. For me, my skin. Stress plays a massive part on how my skin is feeling.
The funny thing is, I don’t normally recognise that I’m stressed until my psoriasis starts exploding all over my skin and then I think “OH YEAH! It has been quite stressful this week”. At this point if I have a breather or book some annual leave it will eventually calm down.
But for someone who works for the emergency services where anything can happen, stress is an obvious part of your life. You always need to be high energy and it constantly demands your attention and emotion. Where your actions have real and sometimes serious effects on other people’s lives. On top of that is the stress of working a different shift pattern from everyone else in your life and trying to balance a normal home and work life.
So I would say I’m stressed more often than not. Also, being a natural worrier doesn’t help. And then when you’re stressed and your skin is playing up, annoyingly it stresses my stress. And before I know it, I’m covered – great!
I just need to remember to sleep enough during the working week and when I am off to make the most of it and enjoy some good old R&R.
Moral of the story: calm me, calm skin.