Right now, we are in stressful times. This increased stress can manifest itself in your body physically in the form of a stress rash.
The Cause of Stress Rash
First and foremost, we need to understand that the rash is caused by stress; the core issue here is the stress itself and not the actual symptoms (ie. the rash). By reducing the amount of stress you experience, by calming down and relaxing, the less likely you are to experience this aggravating rash. With increased stress, there are several physical symptoms you could experience, one of which is the stress rash. Other symptoms include insomnia, irritability, anxiety, depression, and in more severe cases, cardiovascular issues, which could result in stroke and heart attack.
What Is Stress?
But the next question we need to ask ourselves is, what exactly is stress? Simply put it is a bodily response to difficult situations, concerning feelings, the pressure that comes from responsibilities, and acute threats. The body’s reaction to any of the items listed above, how this presents itself to you could show up either be physically, mentally or emotionally.
Every individual reacts to stress in their own way which is also why there are no simple cures or pills to take to reduce stress. We all need to process and deal with it in our own way.
However, you should also keep in mind that not all stress should be considered bad stress. There is also something we call good or positive stress, which helps us stay alert, keeps us going, and helps us react quickly when in situations that place us in imminent danger.
When the stress starts to become negative is when we face challenge after challenge without the possibility to process it in between. From here, we can start to see these symptoms start manifesting.
How To Alleviate Stress
It is essential for each and every one of us to have some sort of stress management technique to help us cope with our everyday challenges. The tricky part is to find a technique that works for you, while at the same time does not cause you any harm, such as using drugs and alcohol.
Instead, look for opportunities that not only work to relieve stress but are also beneficial to both your body and mind; and here is where individual techniques come into play. We are all built differently, and our body and mind work in different ways. This is why some techniques might work for your partner and not for you, and vice versa.
Stress Management Techniques
From apps to online tools, there are many ways to find technology that helps you reduce stress. With this, we can start to rethink stress and not allow it to take control over you and your life.
There are several options available that you could try, and you might find that one or several of them work well for you. These options include mindfulness, yoga, meditation, and breathing.
Mindfulness
Mindfulness is about focusing on the present, 100%. Your goal when being mindful is to be here and now, and not let your thoughts wander. With this, you start to become fully aware of your body and mind, thoughts emotions, and feelings. In addition, the best part about mindfulness is that it can be practiced whenever and wherever you want. Being mindful can lead to less stress.
Meditation
Meditation is a more formal type of practice, even if it is something that can be done in combination with other activities. The object of meditation is to slow things down, slow your mind down, and quiet down what is referred to as the “monkey mind”; the sensation of your mind “jumping” from one thing to another at a rapid pace, just as a monkey swings between trees.
Meditation is focused on relaxing the body in combination with breath control, while simultaneously allowing thoughts and sensations to slowly slip away. Continuous meditation practice can result in lowered stress, a calmer mind, and improved concentration. With meditation lowering the stress, the risk of you seeing a stress rash appear reduces significantly.
Breathing
Breathing techniques are something that can be done as a technique on its own or in combination with both meditation and other tasks such as yoga. This is a really good tool as the effects from it are pretty remarkable and you see results fairly quickly. There are several breathing techniques you could use to reduce the stress levels in your body such as square breathing, mindful breathing, 4-7-8 breathing, diaphragmatic breathing, or pranayama breathing, a technique often used in combination with yoga.
Yoga
Yoga is a combination of several techniques, incorporating elements from meditation, mindfulness, breathing, all of which are done alongside poses and physical movements. Besides lowering your stress levels and minimizing the risk of you suffering from stress rash, you also stand to gain other benefits as improved overall health, fitness, and flexibility. A further benefit is that you will be more in tune with both your body and mind and the connection between the two.
Remember, there are several different types of yoga that will help you lower your stress levels, including but not limited to: Kundalini yoga, gentle yoga, Hatha yoga, Vinyasa yoga, mindful yoga, and Yoga Nidra.
Stress Rashes: Frequently Asked Questions
How can you tell if it is a stress rash?
Stress rashes can often be confused with allergic reactions. However, stress rashes often appear as red bumps commonly referred to as hives. The rash can appear on any part of your body and can cause an itchy discomfort.
How to get rid of stress rashes?
You can use an over-the-counter medication to treat the symptoms, but that is only treating the symptom and not the cause. If you do not treat the cause, it is very likely that you will see this rash appear again. Thus it is recommended you treat the cause before the symptom and only treat the symptom if it becomes unbearable.
Is stress rash a common thing?
Yes, it is, and also nothing to be concerned about on its own. Yes, it can be annoying, especially if it is very itchy. But using a proper stress management technique will allow you to treat the cause and as such reduce the chance of the rash re-appearing again.
What are the best stress management techniques to use to reduce stress and the chance of getting a stress rash?
There are several different techniques you can use to reduce the everyday stress in your life. Some can be done in combination with your everyday tasks while others will require you taking some time out of your daily routine. These techniques include meditation, yoga, deep breathing, and mindfulness.
Stress rash is a very common thing and many of us experience it once or twice in our life. The important part is not to focus on the symptoms but the cause.
Resources
https://www.who.int/occupational_health/topics/stressatwp/en/
https://www.who.int/occupational_health/topics/brunpres0307.pdf?ua=1
https://hms.harvard.edu/news/college-stress
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-08/aha-ado082318.php
