Mental Health

How Meditation Helped my Eczema

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Title: Eczema and Meditation. My journey of using meditation to prevent triggering my eczema.

I never thought I would try meditation, until I figured out all of my autoimmune disorders are triggered by stress, including my eczema. I’m not entirely sure why I’m over-stressed, but. whatever the case may be, I realized quickly that I need to take care of my mental health if I ever want my eczema to heal.

This is why meditation sounded appealing to me. Meditation has many positive benefits, especially for those who are over-stressed or anxious (it also helps that I get free Headspace as a partner at Starbucks).

I was also a little excited to force myself to save 10 minutes of my time and not focus on whatever was going on in my life. My meditation journey has not been perfect, but I try my best to incorporate when I can!

Woman in a seated position meditating in nature

Here are the times I try incorporate meditation into my routine:

  • When I need to fall asleep (or back asleep)
  • When doing chores
  • Before or after work

Here are specific things I use on Headspace when I meditate:

  • Soundscapes (I prefer the forest or nature-themed soundscapes)
  • Stress centered meditation sessions
  • Night-time Wind downs
  • The basics (usually for about 5 to 10 minutes)

I also turned on my notifications for Headspace to set up an alarm for the time(s) I’d like to meditate and an alarm to remind me to go to bed at a certain time if I want eight hours of sleep.

Again, I get the premium version for free since I work at Starbucks and I know not everyone can afford to pay $13 a month for an app. You should be able to try Headspace for free for one week, but if that’s not an option for you here are some other free options I have tried and liked:

  • Atmosphere- This is a soundscape app that allows you to create your own soundscape to fall asleep to!
  • Simple Habit- This app has a good amount of free 5 minute meditation sessions and you can choose what types of mediation sessions you’d like to have (stress reducing, boosting mood, etc.).
  • Calm- This is a free meditation app that gives you limited access for free to daily meditation sessions! A premium subscription is available.
  • Breethe- Another free meditation app that gives you limited access for free to daily meditation sessions! A premium subscription is available.

I work 40 hours a week and go to school full-time, so I understand how hard it can be do add more things to your schedule when it feels like the “to-do” pile is more than enough. However, by incorporating meditation into my routine, I can worry less about the small things and focus on the bigger picture.

Pebbles stacked on top of each other

Since I stared my meditating, my eczema flare-ups aren’t as frequent and aggravated. Along with yoga and my diet changes, my eczema has never been better! I can finally have a flare-up that doesn’t make my hands or feet bleed from writing my name or walking to the mailbox!

I’m still making sure that I apply lotion and try not to use harsh chemicals often; however, I will say that meditation has helped improve my eczema a lot!

Have you tried incorporating meditation into your routine? What app do you use? Leave a comment to share your thoughts!

5 Yoga Poses that Help Manage my Eczema: Yoga-tta Be Kidding Me!

jdcritchfieldLeave a comment
Blog Banner. Silhouette of a person sitting with crossed legs.

Now I know you’re probably wondering, “Jade, how will yoga help with my eczema? It’s hard to even do my daily tasks! How am I supposed to do yoga when I have eczema?”

Well, stress and anxiety are common triggers for eczema, according to the National Eczema Association. I know my eczema is one of my many autoimmune disorders, all of which are triggered, or worsened, by stress.

I decided to try many different tactics to try and manage my stress and my eczema. I have found that when I incorporate yoga into my routine, I feel less stress and, overall, I get less eczema break-outs!

Yoga is well-known for being a form of exercise that helps reduce stress. I actually wrote an article in the Kent Stater about how yoga helps with stress and anxiety!

Since I have eczema on my hands, fingers and feet, it can be challenging to find any motivation to exercise. Through yoga, I’m now able to incorporate some mild exercise in my weekly routine.

The poses I have chosen today are friendly for those who have eczema anywhere on their body. However, please make sure you lotion any areas you have eczema before you start your yoga practice and feel free to wear socks. We don’t want dry skin all over our yoga mat!

Without further ado, here are five poses I recommend for those who have eczema:

Child’s Pose

Personally, child’s pose is one of my favorite yoga poses. It’s easy on the body for those with eczema and you can always deepen the pose by extending your arms! I like using this pose to start my routine. Finally, it’s good for reducing stress because it’s a great pose to control your breath and be aware of your body.

Child's Pose

Tree Pose

Tree Pose

Tree pose may seem scary for those with eczema on your feet; however, learning to balance on my feet through this pose has helped my eczema when I’m eventually on my feet for my job! I take my pose with my foot on my calf, but feel free to go the extra mile if you feel comfortable! You can also take this time to keep focusing on your breath.

Warrior 1

Warrior One Pose

Warrior one is a great yoga pose for me with my eczema because it is a great way to stretch the muscles in the arms and legs, without feeling any pain in my hands or feet. I also find it easy to relax and concentrate on my body in this pose.

Warrior 2

Warrior Two Pose

Warrior two is very similar to warrior one! Easy peasy! This pose also helps stretches the hips after transitioning from warrior one. Again, use this pose to stretch the muscles and concentrate on how you’re feeling.

Crocodile

Last, but not least, crocodile is very good pose to end your routine on! Crocodile pose helps with breath control because you can feel your stomach press against the floor, which can help reduce stress. Obviously, you are off your hands and feet in this pose, hence why I like transitioning from this pose to savasana, or corpse pose.

Crocodile Pose

Overall, I have really enjoyed incorporating yoga into my weekly routine. It has been interesting experience, but through trial and error I have found that these poses have helped me overall manage my eczema and my stress the best. These poses allow you to control your breath and focus your mind on your body. These are poses you can easily incorporate into your weekly routine, even if it’s just for a few minutes!

Do you plan on trying these poses at home? If so, f so, leave a comment and tell me how it went.