Do people think it’s weird to see someone act nervous and blush for no apparent reason?  Maybe you’ve been misjudging other’s reactions for years.  Learning a little about ANTS or automatic negative thoughts can help you to understand more about this.

Since blushing is instantaneous and uncontrollable, it is a huge issue for many with social anxiety disorder.  Not everyone with social anxiety blushes and not everyone who blushes has social anxiety. However, for a majority the two do go hand in hand.

The element of surprise can often trigger blushing in people who are pre-disposed to it as a result of their social anxiety.  Being put ‘on the spot’ or made the center of attention unexpectedly can have a serious detrimental effect on you.  The resultant blushing then further embarrasses you and you wonder what people must think.

Since the physiological responses to blushing are devastatingly real to those who suffer from social anxiety, it is important to note that it is often set off by situations that aren’t rational.  Our perception is what causes our response, and not reality.  If we view the situation as embarrassing, that determines why we blush, and everyone has his own triggers for when they blush.  Some people only blush when made the center of attention in a large group, others may blush even when someone says hello to them.  It is this type of strong fear of blushing that often brings it on in very minor social situations, since we are worried and obsessive about it, which causes our brain to focus on blushing. So, you see that worrying about blushing feeds our fear and causes further blushing.

Learning that blushing is just something that happens and will pass is paramount in conquering your fear, and your ANTs.   Automatic negative thoughts (ANT) are unfounded, and generally incorrect. Not everyone notices you blush, judges you, and feels poorly about you because of it!

Excessive blushing is a fairly widespread problem in today’s society. Because so many of the stresses people face on a daily basis- work, home, relationship, children, financial- can actually trigger the problem, it has become much more common.

One of the biggest problems with excessive blushing and other social anxiety issues is that sufferers feel like they are the only person in the world who has this problem. It’s also very easy to let negative self-talk put you into a position where your entire focus is on your blushing, which in turn makes it worse.

Realizing that many people have fears of embarrassment, real or imagined, and that you definitely are not alone in this can help you to cope with your anxiety over your blushing problem. It’s also important to realize that most other people really aren’t paying that much attention to you, and have not even noticed that you have a blushing problem. When others do notice you blushing, they often see it as a sign of humility, not many of the much more negative things that you’ve been imagining they think of you.

Daily positive self-affirmations are a start. Tell yourself every morning that you are strong, confident person capable of handling any social situation. Also say affirmations as if someone else was saying them to you, so that they don’t need to tangle with your negative self-talk.

Also, try to retrain yourself to focus on something else, which can often have an impact on your blushing problem. Many blushers are so introspective that they are already anticipating the problem before it occurs. Try focusing on the other person or people around you, the game on television, or the magazine or newspaper in your lap instead. For many people yoga can help teach focus and also assist with relieving stress, so it may be helpful as well.

For a complete understanding of why you blush, the triggers for your blushing, and how you can stop blushing why not download our 100 page blushing guide?