Chapter 4
When Blushing Goes Beyond Cute – Conquering Chronic Blushing
We’ve all seen it in classic movies – the heroine or damsel has a coy moment, often accompanied by a toe pop, shy look, or blushing – all of which her co-star of course finds adorable. And sure, blushing can be cute and even sweet and flirtatious. But unfortunately obsessive blushing that pops up during business meetings or networking events has no place and is far from the cuteness they show in those Hollywood blockbusters.
Standard blushing comes at a variety of triggers, such as:
However, chronic blushing can hit at any moment – and therein lies the difference between conventional and pathological blushing.
Pathological blushing comes in several different forms:
Social Anxiety
Physiologically speaking, blushing occurs as a result of a psychological reaction – that reaction is often a result of some form of social anxiety. For example, you know that you are prone to blushing when speaking in front of a group – so naturally, as you prepare to speak in front of a group, you are thinking about what you are going to say and how you are going to act. Since blushing is a part of your natural reactions, that blushing comes to mind – and as a result, you wind up in a self-fulfilling prophecy.
The good news is that because your blushing is part of a psychological reaction, it can be tamed.
PhysicalCauses
There are several physical reactions that cause chronic blushing to be an effect of an actual physical disorder. Many of these have to do with blood vessels and circulation that prevent blood from reaching the tissues or cause spontaneous rushes of blood to concentrated areas.
Most chronic blushing patients seek help in overcoming their conditions in their 20’s and 30’s, though there are of course patients of all ages looking to overcome their challenge.
Most of the time, chronic blushing occurs as a result of a repetitive embarrassing experience – in which case it would fall under the social anxiety category. The consistent negative experience that results in blushing essentially conditions that patient into always blushing in similar situations; the issue often only blossoms from there, spreading into other situations.
Overcoming Chronic Blushing
In rare cases where chronic blushing is truly a result of a neurological or physiological disorder, there are medicinal and surgical treatments available. However, for the majority of patients, we choose to work within the mind, reconditioning our systems to revert to “normal” patterns of blushing by overcoming fears and anxieties.
Blushing will always be a part of our lives and natural responses – and that’s okay – it’s about bringing down the blushing to occur in only line with conventional blushing situations.