Erythrophobia - fear of public speaking, which causes the blush to appear on the face, décolleté and even on the hands. This blush makes you want to disappear! Erythrophobia is classified as a social phobia in which looking and being assessed by others causes fear. Though it seems stronger than you and your logical thinking, there are nevertheless ways around it.
Cold sweats before speaking in public?Erythrophobiausually limits the social contacts of people who fear that in a public situation they will suddenly turn red like a peony. At work, they tend to be withdrawn, they don't want to present their thoughts in public, they avoid appearing and they don't stand up for theirs. They do not get into arguments, preferring to keep their distance, even with close friends. Sounds familiar? Erythrophobia limits your activity and creativity. Listen rather than speak, from the side rather than the center, rather from the back than in the avant-garde… If the anxiety grows stronger, it can also cause you to run away from all social situations that could causeblushing . Therefore, it is worth taking care of.
Where does the blushing come from?
The blusheson the face are atavism. It is left of our ancestors, who in this way informed the opponent about their readiness to enter the fight. Now, for many people, atavistic blushing makes it difficult or even impossible to live a normal life. Reddening begins already in childhood. Timid children, forced by adults to speak in public, instead of daring, they fall into greater and greater fear. It is also an affliction of adolescence, when teenagers still question their self-esteem. However, it can also appear in adulthood in people who - as a result of life events - have lost faith in themselves.
Erythrophobia turns itself on. First you feel fear that you will turn red, so you turn red. You immediately start to feel ashamed of it, and as a result, you turn red just at the thought of blushing, and any public situation leads to an increase in anxiety about blushing. Result - the face becomes peony-colored. Even makeup does not help (and makeup is a solution only for women).
Butyour phobia!
The first step is to talk to people around you about your erythrophobia. Next - determining how strong it is. It is good to look for a support group (e.g. www.erytrofobia.pl). By consulting your problem with others, you will have more information, but also a feeling that you are not alone with it. If the reddening is caused by a disorder of the sympathetic nervous system - drugs such as beta-blockers can give good results. However, when a social anxiety disorder occurs, a psychologist or a psychiatrist should be consulted. Psychotherapy gives good results (it is best to find a specialist in the field of behavioral and cognitive therapy). It focuses on increasing self-esteem, helps to develop methods of coping with social situations - that is, teach new behaviors.
Another possibility is taking (under the supervision of a specialist doctor) mild antidepressants that help to cope with anxiety. Perhaps the solution will be a combination of pharmacological treatment and psychotherapy.
The operation is the last resort
If the phobia is so strong that no rational solutions can be applied - the final solution is surgery, which will block the part of the sympathetic nerve responsible for reddening but also for sweating - that's why surgery usually has the unpleasant side effects of excessive sweating. Recently, a less invasive ETS procedure (sympathectomy) has been performed in Poland, which involves placing a clamp on the sympathetic nerve. The pressure of the buckle is adjustable and can also be removed.
Learn to relax
All relaxation methods are effective in dealing with anxiety. Yoga, autogenic training, Tai-Chi, work with the breath brings relief, reduces blood pressure, and thus blushing. To deal with stress, you can also take massages or relaxing baths. Art therapy, in which you can freely express your emotions, also gives good results. The point is that the phobia should not dominate you, but that you have it in your hand.
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