Cultivate an attitude of gratitude. You’ve probably heard this phrase, and maybe you’ve even tried following it. Overall, it’s great advice! Practicing gratitude can absolutely enhance your mental health and help support strong, healthy relationships.
But here’s what you probably didn’t know about gratitude: it’s also good for your skin.
That’s right: Gratitude and skin health are closely related. Being grateful for life, possessions, and the people who surround you can help slow the development of age-related changes. In turn, this can result in healthier, more vibrant skin.
Your skin and mindset are intimately connected. In fact, practicing gratitude has some specific health benefits that are connected to your appearance and confidence:
1. Better Sleep
They call it “beauty sleep” for good reasons. Getting high-quality sleep, and enough of it, can help slow down the development of wrinkles, fine lines, and other age-related skin concerns. When you take time to practice gratitude each day, you’ll feel more content and relaxed at bedtime – so you’ll have an easier time falling asleep and staying asleep.
A good way to start bringing more gratitude into your life is to spend five minutes before bedtime listing some of the things you’re grateful for. You can do this out loud or even write in a gratitude journal. If you sleep with a partner, you may even want to have a five-minute gratitude discussion before bed. Before long, you’ll notice you’re waking up feeling and looking more energized.
2. Reduced Stress
There really is a boogeyman – and it’s called stress! Not only can stress make your heart race and your palms sweat, it’s also a serious threat to your skin’s health. Aging and stress are closely connected, and people who are under a lot of stress are more likely to experience:
- Acne Breakouts: When you’re stressed out, your body makes more cortisol, a hormone that causes excess oil production that can lead to acne blemishes.
- Wrinkles:One subtle reaction to stress is furrowing your brow, which can cause eyebrow wrinkles to deepen over time. Stress can also affect collagen production, which intensifies wrinkle development.
- Dry Skin: Is your skin dry and itchy? You may be under-producing lipids and proteins due to stress-related hormonal changes.
Developing an attitude of gratitude can help reduce your stress levels, giving you an edge in battling these and other skin concerns. If you’ve been under a lot of stress lately, we also suggest scheduling a facial. A professional treatment, like the Balance Signature Facial or LED therapy, can help relax your body and your mind while also directly fighting skin issues like acne, wrinkles, and dryness.
3. Improved Self-Esteem
When you develop a practice of gratitude, you become more aware of what blessings you have and how much you are really worth. This can lead to improvements in self-esteem. Trust us when we say that high self-esteem really shows up in your skin!
People with good self-esteem smile more often, have an easier time maintaining an anti-aging skincare routine, and are more likely to adopt healthy lifestyle practices that support their skin. If you’re not sure where to start with your skin and mindset, consider scheduling an exfoliating procedure like a chemical peel or dermaplaning. Seeing your skin transform with anti-aging treatments can give you a boost of self-esteem, which you can then maintain through your gratitude practices.
4. Better Heart Health
Did you know that practicing gratitude can help lower your blood pressure? Even the American Heart Association recommends a regular gratitude practice. And as your heart grows healthier, you’re likely to also notice positive changes in your skin. Better circulation can lead to faster healing, fewer acne breakouts, fewer instances of dry skin, and even a reduced appearance of wrinkles and fine lines.
In addition to practicing gratitude, we also suggest bringing some relaxation into your skincare routines. Many of our clients schedule monthly or bimonthly appointments simply because they find the experience relaxing. From the calming atmosphere to the friendly staff, everything at Balance MedSpa is designed to help you feel relaxed and cared for. As such, your spa treatments can become a vital part of your heart-healthy, low-stress, gratitude-focused anti-aging routine – leading to long-lasting benefits for your skin, body, and mind.
Emotional wellness and beauty are more closely related than many people realize. By practicing gratitude and taking better care of your mind, you’re also setting yourself up for success with skincare. If you’re looking for a medical spa where you can relax, de-stress, and rebuild your self-esteem, contact Balance MedSpa. We’re grateful for every one of our clients, and we’re ready to help in any way we can.