Although it has become common knowledge that chronic stress can increase your likelihood for contracting serious illnesses such as heart disease, type II diabetes, hypertension, cancer and depression, it can also have a negative effect on your physical appearance. As this New Beauty piece discusses, persistent untreated stress can cause inflammation throughout your body. When this happens, your body is not able to complete the process of cellular regeneration as easily as it should. Over time, this can lead to your skin becoming dry, rough and wrinkled while your hair becomes flat and brittle.

While a variety of different cosmetics companies promote products that claim to reinvigorate the skin and hair, none are as effective as optimizing your parasympathetic nervous system. By taking time out of your daily routine to engage in relaxing activities, like art therapy or regularly using a massage chair, you can greatly reduce the amount of strain your body is under. If your body isn’t having to counteract the effects of inflammation, it’ll better be able to distribute and absorb skin and hair enhancing vitamin E. And, by reducing the amount of the stress hormone cortisol that’s in your blood, you can significantly diminish the visible signs of aging. Follow the link below to learn more about the connection between stress and physical appearance.

Read the full article here: Doing This for Only 60 Minutes a Month Will Keep You Looking and Feeling Younger