Eczema and Stress - 3 Steps to Breaking the Itch/Scratch Cycle In Reaction to Stress
Eczema and stress are closely related.
It's not because stress directly causes eczema; rather, being under stress causes one to scratch more aggressively, which can exacerbate existing eczema.
Chronic eczema sufferers have a tendency to scratch in almost all situations (even when their skin doesn't itch), because it is such a deeply ingrained habit.
This habit particularly shows itself during the most stressful times.
Scratching has been known to produce therapeutic effects and suppress unpleasant memories in the brain.
This might be one of the reasons why people with eczema tend to scratch more when under stress.
It also doesn't help that having eczema itself is a stressful condition to begin with.
In order to give the skin a chance to heal and prevent further flare-ups, the link between eczema and stress must be severed.
This involves retraining the mind and hands to react differently to stress than scratching by default.
The following three steps can lay the foundation for breaking the itch-scratch cycle in reaction to stress.
1.
Know when you are stressed.
To beat the enemy, you must know the enemy.
For the next 7 days, keep track of all situations that cause you to be stressed.
Some of the typical situations involve being stuck in traffic, unpleasant encounters with people, and any sort of physical ailment such as a headache or an indigestion.
Keeping a log of the stressful times also raises your awareness of when you are most likely to scratch.
2.
Counter each stressful situation with a "self-prescription.
" After 7 days of keeping track, you will notice that you tend to get stressed over same things on most days, around the same time.
Pick three situations that occur most frequently and counter them with a remedy.
A remedy should ideally involve both hands to keep yourself from scratching.
For example, if you are stuck in traffic, you can rest both your hands on the steering wheel and tap to the music.
A squeeze ball, also known as the stress ball, is a great thing to carry around in all situations; when you feel your stress level rising, gently give the ball a squeeze.
3.
Learn how to relieve stress.
In addition to countering each individual stressful situation, the bigger picture should involve relieving stress in general.
Meditations might be helpful but it is often difficult for eczema sufferers to stay put in one place.
Be creative and find what works for you, even if the technique might seem unproductive, such as playing video games.
What's important is giving your skin a chance to escape from eczema and stress.
It's not because stress directly causes eczema; rather, being under stress causes one to scratch more aggressively, which can exacerbate existing eczema.
Chronic eczema sufferers have a tendency to scratch in almost all situations (even when their skin doesn't itch), because it is such a deeply ingrained habit.
This habit particularly shows itself during the most stressful times.
Scratching has been known to produce therapeutic effects and suppress unpleasant memories in the brain.
This might be one of the reasons why people with eczema tend to scratch more when under stress.
It also doesn't help that having eczema itself is a stressful condition to begin with.
In order to give the skin a chance to heal and prevent further flare-ups, the link between eczema and stress must be severed.
This involves retraining the mind and hands to react differently to stress than scratching by default.
The following three steps can lay the foundation for breaking the itch-scratch cycle in reaction to stress.
1.
Know when you are stressed.
To beat the enemy, you must know the enemy.
For the next 7 days, keep track of all situations that cause you to be stressed.
Some of the typical situations involve being stuck in traffic, unpleasant encounters with people, and any sort of physical ailment such as a headache or an indigestion.
Keeping a log of the stressful times also raises your awareness of when you are most likely to scratch.
2.
Counter each stressful situation with a "self-prescription.
" After 7 days of keeping track, you will notice that you tend to get stressed over same things on most days, around the same time.
Pick three situations that occur most frequently and counter them with a remedy.
A remedy should ideally involve both hands to keep yourself from scratching.
For example, if you are stuck in traffic, you can rest both your hands on the steering wheel and tap to the music.
A squeeze ball, also known as the stress ball, is a great thing to carry around in all situations; when you feel your stress level rising, gently give the ball a squeeze.
3.
Learn how to relieve stress.
In addition to countering each individual stressful situation, the bigger picture should involve relieving stress in general.
Meditations might be helpful but it is often difficult for eczema sufferers to stay put in one place.
Be creative and find what works for you, even if the technique might seem unproductive, such as playing video games.
What's important is giving your skin a chance to escape from eczema and stress.
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