| Blushing is the
reddening of the face, ears, neck and often the upper part
of the chest, followed by a feeling of heat and tingling.
Blushing is an unconscious, physical reaction that is caused
by certain situations, and is a perfectly normal bodily reaction.
Some people believe blushing is naturally
attractive as individuals are likely to show their true emotions!
However, for many people blushing can cause discomfort and
distress as they worry about when and where they may blush.
The embarrassment of blushing can become so
severe for those who are extremely anxious in social situations
that the sufferer avoids social contact (known as social anxiety).
For many people, blushing can be traced back
to a particular event (e.g. being put on the spot in front
of a class full of people) and this can lead to a vicious
circle of being embarrassed about the blushing and anticipating
it happening again.
Becoming tense in similar situations and worrying
about blushing often makes it more likely that it will happen
again. This is because our brain automates patterns of thinking,
and for individuals who blush excessively, their brain has
often automated worrying about blushing.
Trying not to worry about blushing also doesn’t
help the situation as our brains can’t not think about
something we’re trying not to think about.
For example if you tell yourself not to think
of a white rabbit, we immediately picture a white rabbit in
our mind! So if we tell ourselves not to worry about blushing,
we immediately think about blushing. Again, our brain automates
this pattern of thinking.
So
what causes it and how is this treated? >>
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