If you’ve been following me or have been using skin care line for awhile, then you know that regulating and nurturing your nervous system is really important for graceful aging and healthy skin.
We know that stress is often a factor when it comes to skin conditions and health conditions, but most people don’t realize the huge role that the nervous system plays when it comes to our skin health.
Our nervous system holds the key to the body’s innate ability to heal itself. It controls and coordinates all of the organs and structures of the human body, including the skin. As I always say, the beauty industry teaches us that skin is strictly external, but this can’t be further from the truth. Every single system in our body is connected. No system in the body works alone, meaning the skin does not work alone either. When one system is out of balance, a domino effect occurs.
Signs Your Nervous System is Out of Balance
- Skin Inflammtion, such as acne, rosacea, eczema, psoriasis, etc.
- Digestive Issues
- Shallow, Fast, Chest Breathing
- Jaw Clenching and/or Teeth Grinding
- Poor Sleep Quality and/or Insomnia
- Short-Tempered, Reactive, Easily Angered or Agitated
- Fast Pulse and Heartbeat, Even During Rest
The Nervous System and Skin Conditions
Every time I see any form of skin condition, whether it be congestion, breakouts, eczema, or any other form of skin inflammation, I know the client’s nervous system needs attention first. Any sort of inflammation tells us that the body has been stuck in the sympathetic nervous system (also known as “fight or flight”) and may be stuck in a biological program that keeps reactivating.
When the nervous system is imbalanced and we are in the sympathetic nervous system too often (either from high stress, chronic stress or a biological program), the body begins to breakdown. This explains why people often look run down and age so rapidly during times of stress.
When our sympathetic nervous system is overactive:
- collagen and elastin breakdown and cannot work efficiently
- heart beat and blood pressure increase
- breath becomes shallow
- digestion and digestive enzyme production drastically slow down
- lack of ability to absorb sufficient nutrients
- liver health and enzyme production decrease
- the lymphatic system becomes compromised
- adrenaline, cortisol and blood pressure rise
- poor sleeping habits or insomnia
Reading through this list, I’m sure you can begin to understand why skin conditions may occur during times of stress, and why it’s hard to heal the body when our sympathetic nervous system is overactive or we have unresolved conflicts in our lives.
You can also begin to see why this system should be your first system of focus.
Self Massage to Nurture Your Nervous System
In this video, I’m going to show you a short massage that you can perform on yourself to help nurture your nervous system and relax your mind.
Did you know that all of the body systems and the organs in the human body are connected to the face via the nervous system?
When we massage the face with really slow, gentle movements, we can support healing throughout the entire body, while calming and nurturing the nervous system. While performing this massage, know that this is not a deep massage at all. It’s very gentle on the surface level of the skin. This gentle touch is what relaxes your nervous system. As you perform this massage, breathe deeply, making sure that your exhales are longer than your inhales to activate your parasympathetic nervous system.
During this massage, try to be very present in this moment. Be mindful as you feel just beneath the skin, spending extra time where it feels good, or where there might be any textural changes or imbalances within the skin. Be intuitive. Enjoy the moment.
