We have a BIG SECRET. It’s something you won’t hear from most skincare companies because, quite honestly, it’s not good for marketing. But it’s true – and we care about you and want what is best for you and your skin. Here’s the secret:
Your skin is more than any one thing you put on it. There is no miracle topical product. It would be amazing if there was (we’d want it, too!)
When you stop falling for the nonsense you see all over social media and discontinue your search for “THE perfect product,” you will have more time to focus on what is best for your skin. Products can help, but your best skin will be the result of your overall wellness.
What really is wellness?
Wellness is defined as the art of practicing healthy habits on a daily basis to attain better physical and mental outcomes so that instead of just surviving, you’re thriving. (Everyone wants to thrive, right?!)
Wellness is an active state associated with individual intentions, choices and actions. As we age, wellness becomes increasingly important because regular exercise and proper nutrition can prevent a variety of health conditions.
Wellness has five main dimensions and each dimension contributes to overall wellness, holistic health, and quality of life. While you may focus more on one specific area, your best overall wellness will arise when you are actively working on each area.
What are the five main dimensions of wellness?
- Physical wellness includes adequate exercise, proper nutrition, and abstaining from unhealthy habits (like tobacco, alcohol, and drugs.) It also means getting routine medical examinations and making choices to protect yourself from injuries.
Here are some specific ways that you can work on your physical wellness:
- Exercise daily
- Eat a variety of healthy foods and control meal portions
- Make getting enough sleep a priority
- Stop smoking, and avoid second-hand smoke
- Drink alcohol in moderation (or not at all)
- Use seatbelts, helmets, etc.
- Emotional wellness is when a person can feel and express emotion, has the ability to love and be loved, and wants to achieve a sense of fulfillment. Self-esteem, a positive outlook, self-acceptance, and the ability to share feelings also play an important role in emotional wellness.
Here are some things that help promote emotional wellness:
- Be aware of your thoughts and feelings
- Ask for support and be supportive
- Practice stress management
- Accept and forgive yourself and others
- Develop and maintain an optimistic outlook
- Intellectual wellness involves keeping your mind active and continuing to learn, expand knowledge, and improve skills.
Here are ways to improve intellectual wellness:
- Read
- Take a class or workshop
- Spend time with people who challenge you intellectually
- Work on puzzles (actual puzzles, crosswords, Sudoku, etc.)
- Social wellness is the ability to successfully interact, effectively communicate, create a support network, respect yourself and others, and establish a sense of belonging.
Here are examples of how you can contribute to your social wellness:
- Build healthy relationships with yourself and others
- Get involved
- Communicate your thoughts, feelings and ideas
- Spiritual wellness is being committed to individual beliefs that provide a sense of meaning and purpose. It is the ability to use these beliefs and values to give your life direction.
Here are areas of focus to support spiritual wellness:
- Be present
- Practice mindfulness
- Meditate
- Live by your principles and values
What disrupts wellness?
While wellness is an individual pursuit, it is often significantly influenced by others or by the environments in which we live. Wellness is disrupted when a person is struggling with one of the dimensions, and it negatively impacts one or all of the other dimensions.
For example, you are struggling with your social wellness due to an argument with a close friend. This causes you to have a hard time sleeping and you find yourself overeating, which leads to a decline in your physical wellness. You also not able to express your feelings or think positively, which affects your emotional wellness.
Wellness can be very easily disrupted. The trick is being able to realize when this has happened, and make changes to get yourself and your wellness back on track. Yes, this is more easily said than done! However, even doing something that seems so small can make a big difference in your overall wellness!
Here are some ideas of small things that you can do to contribute to your overall wellness and holistic health:
- Light a candle.
- Meet a friend for coffee or lunch.
- Take a long walk or hike.
- Spritz a sleep spray on your pillow.
- Enjoy sugar scrub cubes in the shower.
- Drop a bath bomb in your bath – or fill your tub with bath salts.
- Get comfortable with a cup of tea.
- Relish in an extra-long shower with a shower steamer.
- Decorate with succulents or your favorite flowers.
- Pay it forward by doing something nice for someone else.
- Drink a glass of wine while watching your favorite show (or shows!)
- Curl up and read a good book.
- Work it out at the gym
Working on your wellness – or getting it back after it’s been disrupted – doesn’t have to be overwhelming. Even something as little as lighting a candle can brighten your mood.
Make a list of a few things that bring you the most joy. Hang this list or keep it on your phone and refer to it when you and your wellness need some self-care, love and attention. You deserve it!
How does improving overall wellness help your skin?
Your skin is an important part of your wellness – in fact, it’s a really important part! Your skin helps keep you healthy in many ways because it acts as a protective layer and helps the body release waste. There are opportunities to focus on each of the five dimensions of wellness in ways that positively impact your skin and holistically improve your overall wellness:
- Physical Wellness and Your Skin
Eat a variety of colorful whole foods. Foods that are rich in Vitamins B, C, D and K, along with magnesium potassium, and zinc, are wonderful for your skin. These nutrients help produce collagen and elastin, protect from sun damage, regulate cell turnover, and maintain moisture. Go for it – eat the rainbow!
- Emotional Wellness and Your Skin
Research studies have found a link between mental health and skin conditions. Stress can trigger skin inflammation issues like acne, dermatitis, eczema, hives, and rosacea. If you can find ways to decrease stress, you may be able to minimize or even avoid these skin issues.
- Intellectual Wellness and Your Skin
Take advantage of all of the information available about your skin and skincare. Research the ingredients found in your products so that you know what you are putting on your skin. Knowledge is power and you can use what you learn about skincare ingredients to determine what is safe for your skin.
- Social Wellness and Your Skin
It’s fun to talk with friends about tips and suggestions for anything and everything. Skincare is always a fun topic! Or, consider joining an online community as a way of interacting with and learning from others who share your interest in skincare.
- Spiritual Wellness and Your Skin
Amazing things can happen when you couple skincare with self-care. Be mindful in developing morning and evening skincare routines. Make skincare part of your self-care by applying a mask and meditating while the mask is on your face.
Kate Ryan Skincare and Your Overall Wellness
At Kate Ryan Skincare, we see the deep connection and direct relation between wellness and your skin. When you are not well or when you are struggling with wellness, you may be able to physically see the negative impact on your skin.
On the other hand, we truly believe that when you have overall wellness and holistic health, you will see your best skin. That is what we want for you – we want you to Be Well and Love Your Skin!
While KRS will always be focused on skincare products, we also strongly believe in wellness, which is why you have seen other items available on our website. We look forward to continuing in this effort to bring you more high-quality items that will contribute to your overall wellness. We hope you will check out our candles, bath salts, tea and honey, and succulents. There is more to come!
Additionally, you will start to see more wellness-related topics discussed on our blog and via our social media outlets. If you have a topic you’d like to know more about or a self-care strategy you think is worth sharing, we would love to hear from you! Please send us an email at hello@kateryanskincare.com or tag us on Instagram or Facebook!
Be Well! Stay Well!
Jennifer
