Needless to say, the pandemic has changed a lot in our lives. In many ways, the pandemic has lent a clearer lens into the little things in life that we often take for granted. For me, this has been a great opportunity to introspect on prioritizing and my perspective on life itself. 

Before the Pandemic:

Like anyone, I have always strived to achieve a balance in my life, but I noticed that given the stressful work environment, this was often difficult. It was clear that the impact of stress on our body was large, and everyday we exert our body further, the impact grows. While material possessions may increase, the actual condition of our mind and body begins to decrease, leading to the inability to fully care for one's skin. However, after the pandemic, I was able to reflect and introspect, allowing me to understand stress in another light.

During the Pandemic:

During this pandemic, I have begun to take moments to reflect and introspect on life. Moreover, I have taken the time to better understand how stress affects the mind and body. I was able to take some time to simply ask myself basic why and how questions. On a broad level, an example of these questions would include "Why am I stressed?," and "How does my body respond to that stress?" My responses to these questions gave a new meaning to stress. Stress, in essence, is not something that is inflicted upon us - rather, it is something we inflict upon ourselves. Furthermore, we are able to control the stress in our lives by understanding two basic truths. 1) Anger, stress, anxiety, etc only accelerate our aging process, and 2) People respond differently to stress. By understanding both the negative effects of stress and how our very own bodies respond to stress, we are able to counter the aging process, all the while maintaining a calmer approach to life. 

Thus, the end message is that stressing about things you cannot control yields negative impacts on the mind and body. It's best to understand and care for our body! I had the honor to contribute my reflection on stress and aging in the Cosmetics and Toiletries May 2020 issue. I hope you all will take some time to read it in its entirety and do let me know your thoughts. Here is the link!