Blushing is such a common problem. Many people have problems with blushing and this affects their feelings of self worth and performance at work, school and social situations. I’m not talking just about teenagers. I’ve treated CEO’s, nurses, teachers, students, middle aged men and women with excessive blushing.
Jenny (not her real name), age 36, told me she had blushed all her life, or at least as long as she can remember. She shared with me childhood memories of blushing and a few particularly embarrassing moments during High School.
Through the years, Jenny had become stuck in a vicious cycle: when she was embarrassed
she would blush, but the more she blushed the more embarrassed she became. And so on, and so on. Jenny is not alone. Recent research shows that the more we think we are blushing, the more we actually blush.
Clients like Jenny have benefited from using a couple of strategies I know to be psychologically powerful for changing blushing patterns.
#1. Own Your Blushing
What? Am I crazy? Well, yes, a little, but I’m also right. When you own your blushing and you acknowledge it publicly you are taking psychological power away from the thoughts of embarrassment associated with it.
As you notice your blushing, say out loud: “oh, there goes that blushing again” and notice the reaction of the people around you. To what may be a big surprise to you, you may notice that those around you do not seem to particularly care about the different shades of colour in your skin. Owning your blushing puts you in the driving seat and will help you reduce the intensity and frequency of it. The technique sounds simple, but it works effectively.
#2. Program New Results
If you prepare for an event by feeling nervous when you imagine it, you will be programming your mind and body to feel nervous when the situation actually occurs.
By feeling scared or nervous when you think about your upcoming presentation or meeting you are programming your subconscious to create that reaction in your body when the time comes.
However, if you visualize the upcoming events while feeling very relaxed, visualizing yourself looking cool, calm and confident, you are programming your subconscious mind and your body to create that reaction when the time comes. The more often you practice this, the more powerful it becomes.
By practicing short visualizations, we engage in a form of brief self-hypnosis episodes. My client Jenny and many others like her have become very good at it. They have all experienced the great benefits of tapping into their subconscious mind.
Clients experience amazing results in as little as three sessions. There is great power in you, and in each one of us. I invite you to tap into it.
Your partner in change,
Karinna Nájera