I want to write today about the physical issues which seem to crop up when one is under both physical and emotional stress. Keep in mind that these are my personal experiences and may very well not be grounded in current scientific study...this is just MY body's reactions.
Many things have accumulated to stress me over the last six months, first was the drive to finish my Masters' Thesis and graduate, followed closely by the transfer to a new job assignment where not only is the work physically harder but one of my co-workers is trying very hard to make me cry and quit because he hates women. The stress of being chronically short of funds has added mental stress which also affects everything else.
Needless to say, the stress has manifested itself in my skin with recurring bouts of hives and rashes, general itching, and severe reactions to everything from perfumes to the cleaning products I work with...all complicated by chronic pain in my joints and migraine headaches. I am only 60 years old, and should not be falling apart this way. However, I realized something a month or so ago. I returned to the habit of being unclothed every possible moment of most every day, and with the return of warm weather I have also gotten back in the habit of sleeping in the nude. Since I have been allowing my skin to breathe easily for 12 to 14 hours per day, I am finding that the skin eruptions are healing much more quickly and I am significantly less itchy. While the chronic pain may have a medical component, like the sciatica which is annoying me every time the weather changes, it seems like the ability to shed the stress along with my clothes is having the pleasant side effect of a healthier body.
I have come to the conclusion that for my body to recover its equilibrium in the wake of stress, extremely sweaty (and dehydrating!) working conditions, and completely relax, I *have* to be naked. The few days this week which I have had to spend most of the day clothed have seen me stressed out and unhappy to the point of being unpleasant to be around. I had to spend half of today dressed for being out in public and was miserable until I was able to come home and strip to bare skin practically as soon as I walked in the door.
I think this cements my belief that nudism is a healthy way to conduct one's life, for both physical and mental balance, and to keep stress levels as low as possible. The added aspect of finally achieving a sense of control over and comfort with my physical self, especially when it is not disguised by clothing has actually lightened my moods and reduced my need to meet other folks' expectations. Nudism made me comfortable with myself for probably the first time in my life.
