How to Cope When Stress Is Making Your Psoriasis Worse

Finding ways to relax is the best way to interrupt the frustrating cycle of psoriasis stress. Read on to learn tips for a calmer mind, body, and environment.

If you’re living with psoriasis (PsO), you’ve probably found that your PsO can cause you stress and that stress can trigger PsO flares. Practicing self-care and stress-management techniques may help you better cope with stress, which in turn might help you better manage your PsO flares.

Living with any chronic condition can be stressful, especially when that condition is visible on your skin like PsO.

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How are stress and psoriasis related?

Although PsO is a genetic condition, PsO and stress are intricately linked. According to the American Academy of Dermatology, environmental factors, such as traumatic life events, can make PsO symptoms worse.

Additionally, the authors of a 2018 review noted a higher incidence of PsO in people who experienced a stressful event within the previous year. They also found that 31–88% of people living with PSO reported stress as a trigger for their symptoms.

According to the National Psoriasis Foundation, stress is one of the most common PsO triggers. On the flip side, a PsO flare can cause stress. This might feel like an endless loop. But there are some strategies you can use to interrupt this cycle and help prevent stress from affecting your PsO.

Stress-reduction techniques for PsO

1. Create a calming environment

Making your home stress-free is essential for managing your overall stress and its effects on PsO. You can start creating a calming, comfortable environment for yourself by doing the following:

• Declutter: Reorganizing your home and getting rid of excess stuff can help reduce stress. In addition to creating a less hectic atmosphere, decluttering can make it easier to find things when you need them.
• Use chores to your benefit: If you’re already feeling stressed or overwhelmed, try doing simple, routine tasks that help cleanse your space and don’t require a lot of critical thinking, such as laundry, dishes, vacuuming, and other light housekeeping tasks.
• Create a safe haven: Consider dedicating one room, or one space, to relaxation only. Use this area for things like alone time, quiet reading, meditation, and yoga. Having an area that is associated with self-care might help you feel relaxed just by being there.
• Use calming colors: Try decorating your space with colors that help you feel calm. They might be light and cool colors such as baby blue or warm and cozy colors such as red and orange. Avoiding bright and vibrant hues might help with the soothing effect.
• Incorporate comfort: Including soft blankets and pillows can help bring more peaceful sensations into your home. Investing in items that help you feel at ease can do wonders for relaxation.
• Keep plants: Flowers and houseplants can help a space feel more inviting. According to a 2015 study, interacting with indoor plants can actually reduce stress!
• Reduce bright lights: If you can, consider unplugging or replacing bright and glaring lights. You might even want to temporarily cover up any lights that your electronics emit while you’re trying to unwind. Reducing stimulation can allow your brain to calm down more efficiently.

2. Try gratitude journaling

Gratitude journaling is a simple, affordable, and accessible way to de-stress. Keeping a gratitude journal can remind you of the things that are going the right way in your life, which are sometimes hard to see in stressful moments.

You can do this with a traditional pen and paper or electronically with an app or website. Start with writing whatever comes to your mind. Don’t set a time limit or a word limit.

Try focusing on people in your life or aspects of health rather than material things. Once you write something you’re grateful for, consider writing about the feelings you associate with it.

3. Make a to-do list

When the tasks of life get overwhelming, it can be difficult to get anything done. You can start by making a list of everything that needs to get done.

From there, you can organize it by the most important tasks overall, the length of time to complete each one, the financial costs (if any), and/or the physical energy required.

To-do lists can help you empty your headspace to make more room for things that you need to focus on. Making to-do lists also helps the tasks appear more reasonable and more achievable.

4. Practice belly breathing

Breathing exercises are portable, easy, and free! Belly breathing is my favorite to help handle stress in a tough situation. Here are some easy steps to follow to perform effective belly breathing:

1. Sit or lie in a comfortable position.
2. Put one hand on your belly and one on your chest.
3. Take a deep breath through your nose and let your belly expand. Your hand should move out with the belly movement. Your chest should not move.
4. Purse your lips (as if you’re about to whistle) and blow the air out. You should feel the hand on your belly move closer to you, and you can use it to push all the air out.
5. Repeat 3–10 times and slow each breath as much as possible.

Take your time and don’t rush! Be sure to make note of how you feel at the end too. For a visual tutorial, check out this video.

5. Consider professional help

You might want to seek professional help when stress gets too overwhelming. You can meet with a therapist, counselor, or life coach who can help you work through your challenges. A trained and skilled outsider can be very helpful for managing stress.

Finding ways to cope with stress may help improve your skin symptoms and help you better manage your PsO.

The takeaway

If you’re living with PsO, you’ve probably noticed that stress can have an impact on your skin and your overall health. Practicing self-care to improve your mental health and decrease stress can help reduce the chances that stress will trigger your psoriasis.

Consider trying these relaxation techniques to get a better handle on your stress and help minimize avoidable flares.