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BLUSHING
(ERYTHROPHOBIA)
Most people experience blushing at some point, and it is a very
normal, bodily reaction. Blushing occurs when the capillaries,
tiny blood vessels which carry blood to our skin, widen and
allow more blood to flow beneath the surface of the skin. This
causes us to go red, and experience a feeling of being 'flushed'.
Blushing or flushing happens for different reasons, for example
when we go out in cold weather, in a sauna or hot room or do
vigorous exercise we will often become red in the face, as our
bodies react to external conditions and stimuli.
Some other examples which cause blushing would be:
When you are attracted to someone and they notice you looking
When feeling pleasure or certain types of relaxation
If someone pays you a compliment
When feeling guilty about something
The blush will be more noticeable in people with certain skin
types and therefore drawing more attention to it. However, what
we are talking about here is social blushing, the kind that
may happen in an embarrassing situation or when we meet a certain
person, and which can make us feel uncomfortable or even distressed.
Again, many of us have been affected by this kind of flushing,
although for some people, the problem is more serious and is
known as chronic blushing, or erythrophobia.
HOW IT AFFECTS PEOPLE
As if having your face go red wasn’t enough, people
who blush usually suffer from an additional problem, the fear
of blushing!
The worst fear of all – someone noticing your blushing face
or neck and commenting on it. Then one problem becomes increased
to three, how to stop blushing, controlling the fear that you
are going to blush and overcoming the fear of someone else making
everyone else aware of it. Blushing is then more likely to occur
because by then you are more self conscious than ever. A typical
catch 22 situation.
People are often judged on first impressions – that split
second assessment of someone very often counts. A bright red
face can be accompanied by accelerated heart rate, frustration
and insecurity. It gives people around the sufferer the opinion
that the blusher is nervous, unable to focus/concentrate or
worse be a bit suspicious or guilty!
People suffering from this condition may blush whilst meeting
friends in the street, paying in a shop or just sitting with
colleagues having lunch. Suddenly the face turns deep red or
blotches appear on the neck turning an ordinary social situation
into an embarrassment, making social and even professional life
almost impossible in extreme cases.
It is frequently noticeable in people with ‘social phobia’.
The sufferer can be diverted from their task eg public speaking
and interrupting their train of thought. The problem of blushing
can hold the person back in life and be detrimental in all sorts
of situations from job interviews to important meetings. It
can also affect relationships giving rise to low self esteem
and lack of confidence. Sometimes individuals are labeled anti-social
or even reclusive.
Facial blushing is a physical condition exacerbated by stressful
situations and anxiety. It is caused by over activity in the
sympathetic nervous system over which we have no conscious control.
These uncontrollable nerves may become active due to social
and emotional stimuli and may be very embarrassing. The sufferer
is only too aware of the situations which make them blush and
therefore worry about those situations before they arise. The
original anxiety produced the symptom and then the side effect
of blushing becomes another anxiety. Blushing is therefore the
effect and the cause can be many and varied but for someone
who suffers from inappropriate blushing the cause could be,
and often is, linked to anxiety or bottled up emotions. As with
many physical problems, blushing is made worse if the person’s
mental equilibrium becomes unbalanced the cause of which remains
elusive to most sufferers. A phrase to describe that situation
could be ‘That thing within yourself but outside of your control’.
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