And I stress... (Part I).

Veering off the standard "products, and skincare, and hairstyles, oh my!" path with this post. The plan is it's going to be a two parter, all about stress and anxiety. Cheerful, no?

Part one may well be super boring, this is going to be how stress manifests itself in my body.
Part two will be how I try and manage or control that stress.

The background, what prompted this?
The job I have can sometimes be really, really, really, stressful. Especially for someone who is not a stranger to anxiety. Before starting work, it was generally social anxiety but now I just feel anxious, all of the time. I can't remember how it feels not to be so tightly sprung that any little off the cuff comment is liable to send me into hysterics. And the effect is has on my body can be pretty odd too...

My head.
If there is a period that is particularly hard going my scalp becomes really really dry and itchy, everywhere there is hair. Like, right from the front of my hairline, right through to the hairline at the back! That wouldn't be so bad on it's own... but the dandruff. I get the worst dandruff when I'm stressed! It doesn't even need to be particularly bad patch, anything slightly out of the ordinary, anything that makes me feel slightly nervous and whatever colour cardigan I'm wearing will develop white shoulder pads. I get concerned that people see me and think it's snowing!

My face.
Pretty standard here. My skin gets a hell of a lot greasier, and I get a lot (a lot a lot a lot) of "under the skin" spots. I used to have skin that was pretty close to entirely clear, so developing a mass of spots out of nowhere is terrifying, especially seeing as I have no idea how to treat them! The worst part is they stay there, safely nestled in the layers of my skin until that period of stress is entirely over. It's rubbish. I recently had them for over a month!

My nails.
I have rubbish nails anyway, they're sensitive, peel off in layers, flake, and snap. When I'm having a rough time, I have to cut them all the way down so avoid them catching on things and tipping me over the edge (does is make anyone else feel sick when a loose part of the nail catches in something? I literally, physically gag.)

General Wellbeing.
Constant headache, hot and cold sweats, panic/anxiety "attacks" ( 2 or 3 a day is a safe bet), feeling like I can't take enough air to fill my lungs, waking up in the middle of the night (I have a terrible habit of counting, and it's usually 7 times). And I cry. I can't stop myself crying. Even when there is nothing in particular to cry about, my eyes will almost constantly water.

Does anyone else have any odd side effects to stress or anxiety?

How do you deal with it?

Bleach; it'll take off more than germs.

So, I've had the week off what with it being my birthday and all (expect anti-aging product reviews soon), and so I've been lumbered with the ever glamorous task of cleaning the house.

I don't mind cleaning the house, I like to don my rubber gloves and frilly apron, pop all of my hair into a turban and scrub away in full make-up, pretending it's 1956.

On this occasion, something went awry. Something went very, very awry. I still wore my rubber gloves, and I (as usual) followed the instructions on the bottles (mainly because I'm a bit scared of passing out from fumes and being found facedown in a bowl of grubby water when my boyfriend comes home).

But, after cleaning the skirting boards with my bowl of 1:4 bleach and water I removed my gloves to make tea and have a cigarette - I've fallen off the wagon - to discover my nails had been RUINED. Even through the gloves.

RUINED. I have super sensitive nails as it is, always flaking or peeling a little, but I don't think I've ever seen them this bad. It's such a shame because they were a decent length and it a decent condition too. I have stubby little fat boy hands so I rely on my nails to feel a bit more feminine.

Of course, I immediately ordered OPI Nail Envy which should be here within the week. In the mean time, I rummaged through my existing nail products and emerged with these:

I'm not holding out any hope. I've started the Rimmel 14 day Nail Rescue and I'll see it through to the end in the hope that maybe, just maybe, I've found a miracle that can be applied with a brush. Along with that, I'm using an amalgamation of the Avon Marine Strength nail oil, and Argon Oil (not pictured). I'm also using Flexitol Cuticle And Nail Cream to prevent my cuticles drying out from the various nail products.

Not my picture believe it or not, but that's it nonetheless. This stuff is actually a godsend. I always have a tube in the emergency beauty bag I have in my handbag, and it smells so... innocent?

Anyway, along with these I always have hand cream in reach and I'm back on the Calcium, Biotin, and Perfectil suppliments.

Fingers crossed.