Social Anxiety And Facial Blushing

All it takes is that one comment, or anything that tells you you've said something wrong. You get embarrassed and you start to feel that heat rushing up around your face. Next thing you know, you're bright red and far more embarrassed than you were in the first place. Fear of blushing can lead to other social anxiety disorders.

It can get worse as you develop more anxiety about blushing, which then leads you to blush more easily and in more social situations.

This is exactly what caused my own social anxiety disorder. I could sometimes hide it by turning away, but I was so embarrassed when I got caught. Someone would always make a comment about my blushing, which made my fears worse. I eventually avoided social situations, and became quite introverted. Thankfully, with some effort, I have managed to free myself of this problem and no longer am afraid to blush.

What is Facial Blushing?

When you feel criticized or judged negatively, this can result in embarrassed facial blushing. Not everyone blushes the same way though. Even someone who is just as embarrassed or insecure as you are, may not blush as much. Everyone is different.

Some people just have nerves in their faces that are more sensitive to emotional stresses than others. Your nerves control the blood vessels in your face, and in stressful moments they open up and extra blood rushes to your face. This leads to the characteristic red face of embarrassment.

It happens most often in front of strangers, but can really occur any time. Situations with friends and family can also result in facial blushing when you get embarrassed or ashamed. Speaking to a group is also very likely to trigger blushing problems.

Some Causes of Blushing

The fundamental causes of blushing are embarrassment and shame, regardless of how these feelings are caused. Once you figure out what situations are most likely to cause you to blush, you can help eliminate the problem. There are several things that can cause this kind of shame:

- Lack of self-acceptance. Unless you accept yourself for who you are, you are much more likely to be effected by the comments of others. Be happy with who you are, and you'll find that you are far less bothered by what other people think.

- Lacking integrity. You'll find yourself with less shame in life if you are honest with yourself and others. Stick to your personal values and always be truthful.

- Forgive yourself. There is no sense holding a grudge against yourself. Let the past be in the past and forgive yourself for any wrongs you may have committed. You can't change the past, so there is no benefit from dwelling on it.

- Not meeting your personal expectations. You'll always let yourself down if you keep your standards too high, which can lead to feelings of shame. Accept that you've done your best and be happy with that.

- Feeling inferior to others. If you think other people are better than you, you will always feel uncomfortable around them. This can cause you to become embarrassed easier. See everyone as an equal.

- Failure at something important to you. You simply need to accept how things have turned out, and learn from the experience.

- Getting caught in a lie. This one is pretty obvious, and also the easiest to overcome. People will find you untrustworthy if you frequently lie and you'll find yourself ashamed over and over. Be honest with others as well as yourself.

How Will Blushing Affect Your Social Anxiety?

Anyone who blushes easily will likely develop a fear of blushing in public, much like I did. This can increasingly become a problem as you avoid more social situations, and become more afraid of blushing each time.

Unfortunately, you cannot avoid all potentially embarrassing situations forever. So it continues to happen, and you continue to become more and more fearful of your blushing problem. Eventually, you will be constantly nervous and uncomfortable around people. This can develop into a full-blown social phobia.

It's best to confront the problem and learn ways to combat your facial blushing habit. I did it, and so can you.

Sebastiaan van der Schrier is the editor of http://www.social-anxiety-solutions.com the comprehensive guide to overcoming any and all social anxiety forever. More information about how to stop blushing is at http://www.social-anxiety-solutions.com/how-to-stop-blushing.html - Copyright: You may freely republish this article provided the text, author, the active links and this copyright notice remain intact.