Anxiety Rashes

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I have terribly sensitive skin. It gets irritated by mild soaps, shampoos, and even water. It reacts to the food I eat and the moods I feel. I have a terrible case of acute anxiety disorder. I'm a very nervous sort of person. I can awaken by hearing someone whisper in the living room of my apartment while my bedroom door is closed and I'm asleep in my very insulated (with clothes) closet. I'm sensitive to environmental factors like the sun or fragrance (which can cause my skin to burn and blister), including cigarette smoke, which makes going out in public a pain.

Pending the beginning of this school term, I, of course, became anxious. Within 5 minutes, I had developed a full-blown "acne" rash on the right side of my face from my cheeks down to my neck, though my skin was perfectly clear immediately preceding this. Within a few hours, I started feeling small blister bumps on my lips and several cold sores were forming from my nostrils, upper lip, and corners of my mouth. My face felt like it was on fire and the skin all over my body was itching. It has been over a week, the rash is still there, and I'm still itching (but not scratching, though I'm trying to cool down my face by placing the backs of my hands against my cheeks to transfer the heat -- and yes, my hands are clean. I am terribly hygienic.)

I don't like taking pharmaceuticals, so I need suggestions on what I could ingest (food-wise) to perhaps rid myself of the rash and halt my skin sensitivity to both internal and external forces. As I get older, it seems to get worse. I used to not have allergies, as far as I knew (except for cigarette smoke), but looking back on things now, I do realize that the only time I ever had acne during my teen years was because of breakouts concerning my nerves. I guess if anyone can suggest what I may eat to calm me down, I would very much appreciate it. If I could afford hypnosis, I would do that. I hate becoming such a nervous wreck.

When I was a music major and taking private lessons and was told of having to do concert performances, after which I had confided in my instructor of having anxiety issues, he told me he had heard from others that bananas ease anxiousness. How true is this? And if so, what chemical/nutrient is interacting with your brain to calm it down? I told him that I would probably have to eat several bunches to remedy my problems. I once considered the regular consumption of alcohol to soothe me, but it also causes my skin to rash, though usually in small patches like a strawberry burn (baseball).

My skin is so sensitive that I have to be careful with what I wear, even seams irritate me, and I'm unable to put on a watch for more than a few minutes, or a ring, or a belt or anything around my neck that isn't of soft fabric. Even after wearing very loose jeans, I have noticed that the seams always leave impressions on my skin that last for several hours after I've changed and the textures of socks and almost anything textured that I may wear. I'm a redhead and have read that we have one less layer of skin, which I'm not sure if I fully believe unless I come across a scientific article, but I do know that my skin, at the very least, seems incredibly thin and hypersensitive.

Hypersensitivity to stimuli is not uncommon among Aspies. Like you, my skin can't handle much sunlight. I even saw a dermatologist about this, and his advice was to stay inside or wear lots of clothes. Clothing texture is also a problem, as is soap, shampoo, etc.

Fortunately, my anxiety does not appear in the form of rashes. But I've heard and read about it. Basically, no food is likely to solve the problem, since your brain is the source. The best you can do is eat a healthy, balanced diet that you enjoy, staying away from the obvious problem chemicals like caffeine, sugar, and highly refined or processed foods. Some people might suggest limiting or eliminating gluten (found in wheat) and casein (found in dairy products), and doing so may help.

Relaxation exercises of all sorts should help to. From simple breathing routines to visualization or music, to stretching (like yoga) or walking. Whatever works. One thing that works for me is playing with numbers in my head. If I get stressed or uncomfortable, I start squaring, cubing, or multiplying the numbers I see around me, or try to figure out how many days have passed since I adopted my cat or what day of the week my birthday (or some other day) will be in 5, 10, or 20 years. I don't imagine this would work for everyone, but it is very helpful for me.

Libraries have lots of books on the subject of stress reduction and relaxation, and it's a trial and error process to find what works for you. Self-hypnosis, using a recording you prepare for yourself, may also help you. Each person is different, so you'll have to experiment.

I totally sympathize with you on this. I have many of the symptoms you both have described, though they vary in severity. I hate to say it but, other than eliminating all those nasties from your diet, the best thing you can do is learn to relax. Much easier said than done, I really do know.

I've tried to incorporate quiet times into my day: approx 2 minutes of total, silent relaxation lying on my bed, eyes closed and focusing on breathing slowly and deeply. It try to do this 2-3 times a day. I used to enjoy a weekly t'ai chi class but found the whole 'group' thing just too stressful, although you might find it helps. Also fresh air and walking. I find going for a walk at night helps me relax and sleep better whereas in the day there's too many stimuli and it stresses me out.

Oh, and staying away from stressful things. Try to minimise disruptions. I've convinced my parents to keep the phone off the hook these days and their mobiles on silent/vibrate, as well as answer the door before the postman knocks. I find doctors' appointments really unsettle me so I tend to have private consultations now (at times and on days that suit me rather than vice versa).

I'm not saying any of this will be an instant cure, but if you manage to calm your innner and outer environment, you may start to experience an improvement with your rashes etc. It was about 3-6 months before I noticed a difference.