OK maybe that’s not exactly what happened but hear me out: On Tuesday, I did a TV interview for work. It was super fun! But if there’s one thing I don’t love about these things, it’s the makeup. Not really because it isn’t “clean”—I do this infrequently, so that’s not really a concern. It’s just that there’s so much of it.
I’ve tried to do my own makeup for TV before, and guess what? It sort of looks like crap. In TV land, everyone—including the dudes—is pancaked, so when you’re not, it just looks bizarre. Plus, these things are always rushed, I don’t like being too fussy, and I can’t afford to hire my own all-naturals makeup artist.
But here’s the rub: conventional makeup really, really irritates my skin. So does the stress of work and, yes, being on the tube—I love doing it in the moment, but beforehand, I get nervous! I have written before about how my complexion is far less temperamental than it used to be, and a big reason for that is the fact that I’m super strict about what I’ll put on it. I also try to be very consistent with my stress-busting strategies: Yoga a bunch of times a week, regular bedtimes, daily meditation, some nondenominational prayer. These things make a big difference in how I feel (and look), and when they get thrown off—and they all have lately—well, you know what happens.
So by the time Tuesday night rolled around, I was fending off a freakout that I would wake up the next day with monsters on my face. I could feel them coming on. Now, as fate would have it, I also had tickets to see my favorite musician perform for just the second time in my life—despite the fact I’ve been a rap fan since I was in elementary school. So off I go to the show. I knew from the first song that this would be the best concert I’ve ever been to—and it was!
I had SUCH a ball. I danced and sang along like an unbridled dork for two hours, fell asleep peaceful and happy, woke up peaceful and happy and…way clearer. Yup. Monsters averted!
Here’s the thing: Anyone who has broken out a bunch knows that the anxiety that comes with a breakout is way worse than the breakout itself. Even worse, in my opinion, is that sinking dread you feel when you know a breakout is coming! Of course you never look as bad as you think you look, but the crazy psychological tricks you’ll play on yourself when your skin is cranky can be miserable.
Thankfully, because I had such a packed day—and a day packed with things I was giddy about—I had no time to indulge in those crappy feelings. Instead, I had more fun than I’d had in ages. And just like that, my skin bounced back. It isn’t perfect, but it’s calm, and it’s healing.
Was it the cascade of feel-good hormones? A fluky monthly hormonal shift that happened at just the right time? Was it…Jay-Z? I’m not sure. But it was a good reminder that happiness, good old fashioned fun, and not taking yourself (or your skin) too seriously can produce miraculous results.
So the next time you feel a bad one coming on, maybe do something super fun? That would be my advice from here on in. (That and green tea clay, naturally.)
Has anyone else noticed anything like this? And do you have any feel-better strategies to beat off a bad skin day (or week, or year)?
Sorry, gingers! We have bad news. According to this new rundown of stress research, redheads have higher levels of anxiety than people with other hair colors. How’s that for a fun fact? Of course it’s not quite so straightforward. Natural redheads, it turns out, may have lower thresholds for some kinds of pain, which could explain the elevated stress. Other factors that seem to correlate with higher stress are being married (?!), being overweight, being unemployed, being a baby in a forward-facing stroller, being a Chinese businessman, being a firefighter and…being a woman.
Sigh. Those of you who have read the book know that we talk a bunch about stress and the lifestyle factors that mitigate it—and exacerbate it. Stress, it’s true, is unavoidable for a lot of us. There are also some interesting upsides to anxiety. It’s all about keeping it in balance.
As we say in the book “Your outlook is your look”—bit corny, sure, but we think these are words to live by. No moisturizer or blush can do for you what happiness, sleep, exercise and—perhaps most important—relaxation can.
So we want to know: How stressed out are you? And how do you keep it in check?
I’ll go first: I totally get stressed out. To try to counter it, I practice yoga, I do some version of prayer-meditation every night before bed, I spend time with people I love, and I try to get as many really good hugs as a I can. Your turn.
Image via
