Stress - a psoriasis trigger

Yep.. As if stress is not bad enough on our minds and bodies ... it is worse on our psoriasis!

Just google how stress affects our bodies and the list goes on and on.. from headaches, chest pain, fatigue to muscle tension, sleep problems and so much more...

It makes us anxious, overwhelmed, irritable, sad, depressed angry ..oh and our psoriasis flares up and bleeds and hurts and makes our stress even worse.

So what can we do? Life is tough. There is work and bills to pay and responsibilities and family to take care of.

Before my body was covered in psoriasis I would spoil myself with an hour of massage - it was heaven. All the stresses of the day would simply dissipate. Sometimes I would get a pedicure - loving the foot massage and the warm water soak. Both of these stress releases were taken from me when my skin became 75% covered in red, scaly plaques.

As for relationships - thats more stress. Covering our bodies, hiding our marked skin, lights off, feeling embarrassed - ashamed.

During the twenty-five years as a psoriasis sufferer I used food as my stress reliever... turning into a yo-yo dieter. The more stressed I became, the fatter I became and the worse my psoriasis became.

It is all very well to say "exercise". It is a proven stress reliever... but somehow a lemon meringue pie and a good movie would win out.

It is when we are the most stressed that we must be our own bes