I wanted to write a blog post about blushing as the subject comes up so many times when I am talking to people.
You may blush because you are self conscious, anxious and/or shy. Whatever the reason, it may be getting in the way of how you want to live your life. It may be preventing you from doing things that you want to do.
I talk in my first book, Shy People Can Be Successful Too about how my chest used to go really red and blotchy when I got up to speak in public or when anyone asked me a question. This doesn’t happen as much now but the temporary measure that I used was to just cover up and wear something that came high up on my neck.
Obviously if you suffer from blushing in the cheeks, its a little harder to cover up!
So I am going to give you some tips to try out that will help you to control your blushing. However, first of all I want you to realise that;
1. Your blushing is probably a lot more noticeable to you than to anyone else.
2. You are not responsible for it, your subconscious mind is.
3. Studies have shown that when you blush, you come across as very sincere, and people are more likely to believe that you are being genuine. Blushing cannot be faked.
4. More studies have shown that when you blush you also come across as more trustworthy and people will be more comfortable with you and feel more at ease.
5. Blushing signals that you care about others opinions.
So, hopefully this has helped already, but if you still really want to stop it happening, there are three things that you can do to help to control the blushing. It will take a bit of time however, so please be patient.
Relaxation
This can be either when you are actually in the situation where you are experiencing the blushing, or at another time of day as a sort of preparation exercise.
Take some deep breaths and just try to relax. Concentrate on your breathing if you can. Lower your shoulders and just relax your whole body. Practice doing this every day for 5 minutes.
When you relax, you will take the attention away from the blushing and this is ideal, because the more you pay attention to it, the more you will blush and it’s a kind of vicious circle.
You can try yoga or meditation too which are also forms of relaxation.
Visualisation
See yourself in the situations where you usually blush and imagine yourself being really calm and relaxed and getting out of the situation exactly what you wanted. You are not blushing at all, you appear confident and calm. You can even imagine that you are standing next to a fan blowing cool air over you.
Another visualisation exercise that you can do is to imagine your hands being warmed in front of a roaring fire. This will redirect the blushing to your hands and take it away from your cheeks.
Pay attention to what is going on around you.
I have mentioned in other posts that if you are shy, you are probably a great listener. Well, why not become so interested in what the person you are talking to has to say that you forget all about your blushing? Really listen to them. When your mind is on other things, you will pay less attention to your blushing.
I hope this post has helped. Please comment if you have found any other techniques that work for you.
Have a fantastic day!
Adele x
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