Where we live and what we do certainly have an affect on our appearance. If the environment in which we work is stressful, then that stress is eventually going to show up on our face and in our bodies. And it may happen sooner rather than later. But how does it happen?
Stress need not be emotional or mental. It can be physical. For instance, if you work in a climate that is very cold or too hot, or has air-conditioning that is drying, the effects of it will show up physically. Air-conditioners often cause dry skin because they take so much moisture out of the air. The drier skin gets, the sooner it will start to age.
Simple things such as poor lighting that makes you squint or a chair that is not ergonomic might even cause stress. The chair may be too big or too small. Perhaps the back is not adjustable and so you cannot feel comfortable. Your workspace may be crowded and noisy, or there could be light from a window reflected in your computer screen. All this tends to cause stress.
But mostly people think of stress as an emotional problem. It certainly can be. You may have a boss or work colleagues that are argumentative and bitchy. Or your job may require things of you that you hate to do or cannot manage. Or perhaps you have to work late and it makes you nervous to be alone in a darkened building. All this stress adds up and causes you to become physically tense. Your muscles tighten and you get a headache. You may even have a backache. Stress causes tension and tiredness. Your body is trying to tell you that it is suffering from stress.
Once your facial muscles tighten up, you end up with frown lines between the eyes. You may have lines in other places such as the cheeks or jaw line. Tight facial muscles will also give you a headache. When our bodies are stressed, whether it is from a physical or emotional cause, they tend to use up a great deal more nutrients to try and deal with it. You need large doses of Vitamin C, A and D to fight off the effects of stress. Calcium and magnesium also help to calm the nerves and make our bodies more able to cope with stress. It may be worth taking extra B vitamins also, as they are used up in stressful situations.
