A Lifestyle Lesson in Radiant Skin

For better or worse, the look and feel of our skin influences much of how we interact with the world. Going out with a pimple or cold sore can greatly influence our level of confidence, eye contact, and overall contentedness with our daily lives.

And the thing about skin is that it’s the most honest part of ourselves.

It displays outside of us what’s going on inside of us.

This is true of the body because our skin is actually just an extension of our digestive system. Need proof? Without ever raising it, slide your finger from your forehead, down your nose, and past your top lip. Where do you end up?

In your mouth, right? And if you were able to keep following that path, you’d end up in your esophagus, stomach, intestine, and right on out your bum.

Your skin is the outer most layer of your digestive system and its main functions are to detox and to set boundaries.

This is why detoxification and boundary setting are the two main keys to radiant skin. Here’s how you can practice them.

SEE: Notice how you feel about your skin.

How we feel about our skin tends to be an extension of how we feel about other areas of our lives. If our skin is irritated, it’s likely that there are irritations in our relationships. If our skin is infected (for example, by invasive bacteria which produces acne), it’s likely that we feel invaded and as though we don’t have our own space.

When you start to focus on the ailment of your skin, simply notice how you might feel similar feelings about other areas of your life too.

STOP: Stop obsessing about your skin.

The problem with your skin did not originate there. It’s simply a manifestation of the other area of your life you’ve just now begun to see.

Sometimes it’s convenient to be distracted by the problem with our skin. Society makes it a lot easier to fix our skin than it is to fix other aspects of our lives. But the more you blame your skin, the less able you’ll be to solve the real problem.

START: Take one small step toward changing the other part of your life.

Here are some ideas that might help:

If you struggle with acne, create more boundaries between you and toxicity. That means cleaning up your diet of dairy, gluten, artificial flavors, and processed food. This also means cleaning up your relationships of negativity, disdain, complaining, and shaming.

If you struggle with cold sores, be more honest with yourself and others about how you feel. Act less scared and allow yourself to be more angry. Chances are the cold sore popped up because you distorted your anger into something more ‘socially acceptable’ (like fear, worry, or false positivity).

If you struggle with rashes of any kind, express yourself more often. Journal about your day, articulate your feelings, speak up at work, and be honest with your family and friends. If your skin looks angry, it’s likely because you are.

MAGIC MANTRA: I deserve to feel safe and beautiful.