Mental Health Tips to Cope with Eczema
Mental health and wellness play an essential role in our overall health, including the management of eczema. As eczema researchers across the globe work to understand this intricate connection better, they are uncovering insights into how mental well-being can impact skin conditions and vice versa.
ESC spoke with registered psychologist Shawn Reynolds, PhD, to understand the connection between mental health, well-being, and chronic conditions.
What does “Mental Health” mean?
Dr. Reynolds shared, “According to the World Health Organization, mental health is a state of mental well-being that enables people to cope with the stresses of life, realize their abilities, learn well and work well, and contribute to their community. It is important that this definition assumes and recognizes that we all have stresses in life, and it doesn’t eliminate people with a mental health diagnosis.”
How does eczema impact mental health?
“Our mental health is impacted by everyday stressors, politics, health fears, other people in our daily lives, conflicts, bad sleep – and more – the list is endless! And we know that eczema can affect our mental health. Eczema brings sleep and self-esteem challenges, flares, itch, pain discomfort and increased demands on our time (e.g., applying moisturizers and medicines, other medication, doctor’s visits, etc.).”
What can we do to manage this?
Dr. Reynolds tells us, “Some good news is that we have some control over how we respond to stresses and even to our eczema. We can feel helpless sometimes, but if you know how to make it worse, you also know how to make it better (or, at least, less worse).”
“I also like to think about ‘Putting eczema in its place.’ If we think of our overall selves as a pie with a lot of different pieces (our personality, values, beliefs, things we do for fun, health, etc.), eczema should be a small piece of the pie – that is, it’s a small part of our lives and our identity.”
“It’s also very helpful to model healthy responses to our kids. As parents, we want to strike the right balance between allowing feelings to come out (tears are OK) and resiliency (I don’t like this, but it doesn’t define me). If we over-respond to others’ comments about our kids, it can accidentally teach them something is wrong with them.”
What can we do to improve our mental well-being?
Dr. Reynolds shares, “Here are a few strategies that work for many people in different ways. People usually do best to pick two to three of these suggestions that are a fit for you and your personality – don’t feel like you have to do them all!
- Show care and love to yourself
This includes spending time caring for your eczema. This can involve improving your habits (e.g., put the lotion on your counter so it is the first thing you do when you get out of the shower) in addition to prioritizing professional visits (e.g., seeing your physician, going to the drugstore).This also includes spending time doing things that bring you joy. You may need to figure out ways to make this happen on an everyday basis (like, put it in your calendar). - Be aware of your own wellness needs
We can see these in terms of:
• Physical needs
• Social needs
• Emotional needs
• Spiritual needs
• Intellectual needs
• Occupational needs (areas taken from the National Wellness Institute)Which do you do well right now? Which could you do more of? Does eczema get in the way of these? Can you change that? - Do things that increase your self-confidence
• Remember the pie we talked about? How much space does eczema take up? How much do you want it to take up? How much should this define me? How much should this define my child?
• If you are not proud of your eczema, what are you proud of? What is more important? - Think about the benefits of eczema (really!)
• This is a strange idea; how have you grown because of your eczema?
• Are you more empathic towards people who look different?
• Are you more understanding when people are having a hard day?
• Does it make you more aware of your own needs?
• This is not to say that eczema is a good thing for you or your child, but it is something that we can grow from - Remember everyday things that help:
• Physical activity
• Self-care with how we eat and hydrate
• Doing one fun thing every day
• Connect with other people to the degree that works best for you (seek out more if you don’t get enough at work; seek time alone if you get too much at work)
• What healthy things make you feel better? Have fun with your kids, praying, meditating, and journaling. Do more of these (this seems obvious, but it’s not).
Thank you, Dr. Reynolds!
Mental Health Resources
If you need help in an emergency or are in crisis:
Visit your local hospital emergency department or call 911
Contact a distress line:
9-8-8 Suicide Crisis Helpline: Call or text 9-8-8
Kids Help Phone: 1-800-668-6868; Languages: English and French
Additional support: Eczemahelp.ca/eczema-resources/mental-health/
Eczema Society of Canada thanks registered psychologist Shawn Reynolds, PhD, for his volunteer contribution to this educational content.
This blog was developed as part of our Life with Eczema program and funding support for this initiative has been provided by AbbVie, Pfizer Canada, and Sanofi.
Disclaimer: Information provided in this resource does not constitute medical advice and is not intended to be used as a diagnostic tool. The information is up-to-date at time of publication. All medications, interventions, and treatment plans have risks and benefits, and it is important that individuals discuss their or their child’s specific healthcare needs with a qualified healthcare professional.
October 2024
