Fear of blushing is a specific type of social phobia. It is the fear of blushing while you are in conversation with others or when others can see you. Blushing anxiety is not commonly known and this means that many people do not know what it is. This article will describe the symptoms of fear of blushing, sum up possible consequences of fear of blushing, and finally list possible treatment methods.
Fear of blushing: symptoms of fear of blushing
As a main symptom, fear of blushing is of course characterized by the fear of blushing. The anxiety most often occurs when you are conversing with someone else or when you have many people around you. Often you think 'I may not blush', which gives you the feeling that you will blush even more quickly. On top of this, people fear of blushing are not only afraid of blushing, but also of the reaction of other people to the blushing. They are scared that other people will find them to be weird or will respond negatively to it. Oftentimes, people with fear of blushing believe blushing to be something weird and that it is a social rule that blushing is looked upon in a negative light. That is why they want to avoid blushing, because they are afraid of the reactions of other people.
Fear of blushing: consequences
Those who experience a type of anxiety, often know that the anxiety is irrational, but can still not do anything about it. In the case of fear of blushing they often know that it is not so bad to blush, but still they have a great anxiety that they might blush. Because they constantly experience anxiety, the body can get very tense. They are constantly stressed and develop fear of fear. This means that they get anxious just when thinking about that they might have to speak with someone, which could possibly lead to blushing. This tension and stress takes its toll after some time. You find it difficult to focus on things or have problems with memory. Your daily activities will even start to suffer from your anxiety. Examples are a presentation or meeting with colleagues. Sometimes you might even be so anxious that you get a panic attack or start hyperventilating.
Fear of blushing: treatment
To treat your fear of blushing and deal with the symptoms thereof, it is best to treat the underlying anxiety. The online self-help program '15Minutes4Me.com' works together with you to lower your anxiety and its consequences. It contains techniques which you can use to reduce anxiety, but even to deal with anxiety when you feel it rising.
Fear of blushing: do the anxiety test!
To know to what extent you experience anxiety or stress, you can always fill out the free online anxiety test. This will tell you to what extent you experience anxiety or stress and how you can handle this. After filling out the test, the computer automatically calculates your results, which will be shown to you immediately!