Stress Awareness Month

Have you ever felt like you’re living in a ‘cycle of stress’? With psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis (PsA), this pattern may actually be triggering a flare up.

Stress causes feelings of ‘high alert’ – this leads to overproduction of cortisol, a hormone that suppresses inflammation, making it less effective in doing so. And with psoriasis being an inflammatory condition, it’s easy to see how increased stress may lead to increased flares.

Can stress impact my psoriasis/psoriatic arthritis?

Triggers are unique to every individual, however many do believe that stress can impact their psoriasis in a variety of ways.

In addition to the heighted cortisol levels that come with it, increased stress and a lack of general selfcare can also lead to skipped treatment regimens, missed appointments and poor diet choices.

Practicing mindfulness and implementing a daily selfcare routine is an effective way to ‘reduce stress’ and live a healthier lifestyle overall – all things that may reduce inflammation in the body and possibly help with psoriasis management.

Understanding your own stress

Awareness of stress and how it impacts you individually is one of the most affective ways to break this ‘stress cycle’, and by doing this, you may see a positive impact on your skin.

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This month is Stress Awareness Month, a yearly awareness campaign that aims to:

• Increase our understanding of stress and how it affects people differently
• Develop strategies to manage stress
• Break down stigma around stress and wellbeing
• Offer guidance and resources so we can respond to stress.

People who find stress is a trigger could look at what they can do to reduce stress in their lives. We have more information on potential triggers for psoriasis on our website to support you, and the official Stress Awareness Month website has a range of resources about stress and selfcare you may find useful.

It’s good to talk

Creating open conversations around stress and mental health is one of the best ways to understand and manage it.

Why not take a look through our stories shared by real people who made changes to manage their psoriasis and mental health?

If you have a story to share, we’d love to hear from you – or if you just need a listening ear, we have our helpline and forums.