It is easy to find yourself with anxiety during a rash due to itching symptoms, discomfort, sleep deprivation and the uncertainty of it’s healing. Developing ways to stay calm and centered during this period of your life is important both to help yourself psychologically in the present as well as to learn coping skills that can be beneficial in a variety of situations you may need to face.

Many people have an itchy rash and are not sure what it is. Since there are so many different types of rashes including eczema rash, scabies rash, hives rash, pupps, diabetes rashes and prickly heat rash you may not have a diagnosis for it. If you do notice that you have a fever, the rash spots are warm or know that you get allergic reactions that may involve respiratory problems, seeking a physician’s evaluation can be important. Also getting a rash diagnosis often calms the mind because you know what you are dealing with and this makes it finite.

When you have no name for a rash, the imagination can go wild and you may find yourself looking up every scary possibility on the internet. This will only increase anxiety and lead to greater disruption of your daily routines.

In addition to treating the rash holistically or traditionally with appropriate medications, let’s look at what can aid the mind in relaxing. We know that itching can increase a rash and that in fact some rashes can occur purely due to nervousness , stress or anxiety. Hives is one rash that some people get when they are stressed due to work deadlines, school exams, relationship issues or other daily situations that can be overwhelming.

Relaxation techniques and changing the pattern of your thinking is useful for any type of rash (whether directly caused by stress or only exacerbated by worry). First of all, keeping perspective is very important. You are dealing with a skin rash problem and despite the itching, soreness and other symptoms, it isn’t cancer or a life-threatening situation. This may not seem like a comfort when you feel that you want to hide or are tearful due to lack of sleep. However, meditating on this can give you some perspective and even a sense of gratitude that it is not a more serious illness. (Of course, it is always important to see a physician as certain rahes may be related to diabetes, lupus or other medical conditions).

Don’t isolate yourself waiting for everything to resolve. Do things you enjoy and find relaxing. Staying at home can cause your mind to spin out of control and move into a mode of panic. Though you don’t want a lot of sun exposure (for most rashes), you can still participate with friends and family members in activities and take antihistamines to help with the itching.

Slow breathing aids itching and is very useful for stopping the fight of flight response that the body moves into. Emotional upset can lead to allergic responses according to some experts. A breathing technique used in yoga for stress is to do a 3 part breath where you fill the belly area, then lower chest and finally upper chest slowly. Hold the breath for a few seconds and exhale out slowly. Do this for five minutes 2-3 times a day. It helps to train the mind to be calm. We often are confronted with frustrating situations so this is a tool that will help you for the rest of your life.

For people who are more visual, looking at a book of photography, visualizing a beautiful vacation scene when you are healthy or watching a dvd that has exotic pictures can be quite soothing. What works for easing your mind. Don’t turn to eating as a solution during this period of time in case you are having an allergic reaction to certain ingredients.

Stretching, running, karate, tai-chi and other activities can get your mind re-focused and reduce the anxiety that accompanies a rash. Learn how to apply Stress Reduction Tips each day to change your perspective.