Stress less.  #letsbefrank, that’s easy to type. Not so easy to do.    Trigger warning: stress. Your body is smart. When you’re stressed, your immune system begins a process of inflammation to cope. Sometimes, it can be too smart for its own good. Your immune system works too hard, causing too much inflammation. Enter: Psoriasis.    How to manage both stress and psoriasis:   Sweat it out. “Exercise releases endorphins. Endorphins make you happy. Happy people just don't kill their husbands.” Elle Woods aside, exercise bumps up the zzzz’s you get a night and decreases anxiety. Less panic, more pump. But if the thought of gym memberships and burpees makes your brain fuzzy, consider yoga for a stress-free sweat. Followed by my Peppermint Scrub, for an anti-bacterial, post-sweat scrub.   1, 2, ommmmmm. Meditation and mindfulness doesn't have to be silent retreats and sitting cross-legged for hours. It’s paying attention. Picking lavender from that garden down the road. Slowing your breath. Kissing. Scrubbing. It’s all about focusing on what you’re doing, right here & now. And when you’re too stressed to even sit still for 5 minutes, try this: breathe in for 4, hold for 7, breathe out for 8. Nice lungs, babe.   Blah blah blah.  Don’t just sit there in a puddle of stress. Talk to someone: a friend, a psychologist, a person on the internet, your dog. Get it off your chest. When you talk, you remove the stress from inside your body and send it outside of you. #letsbefrank, you might get mad, or even sad for a moment. But these emotions take you further away from your stress. I’m not a body-builder, but that’s a weight lifted.    Scrub. Rub a dub dub. Emphasis on the rub. My scrubs are made with coffee to boost collagen production for new skin cells. They also have essential oils which soften skin and repair-marks, bumps, and redness. Scrubbing has more benefits than just physical: it gives you a moment of mindfulness and can be a workout if you’re doing it just right. Get someone to scrub you, for you. Win, win, win for you: massage, exfoliation, and shower therapy session.    Yes babe, stress is a trigger for psoriasis. On the flip, having psoriasis can cause stress. Break up with the cycle and banish psoriasis by keeping calm and getting your scrub on.    It can be done, with a little help from a friend: me.