Frequent Blushing Moments ?

I’m sure everyone has had their share of “blushing moments”. But how would it feel if you are chronically blushing? I think it’s not something that I  would want to experience.

In Seattle  Washington, a  20-year-old boy committed suicide because his blushing had become “unbearable”. This is according to a report in MSNBC.

Generally, people blush when they are embarrassed, angry or excited. It’s involuntary. When we’re embarrassed, our body releases adrenaline that makes our blood vessels dilate. The veins also dilate so a lot of blood can easily pass through. This makes our faces red.

The boy, Brandon however had to deal with it more often than most people do. He suffered from pathological blushing or chronic blushing. He would blush at just about anything

About 5 to 7 percent of Americans have this condition. Most just suffer silently. But the problem is, when left untreated, it can slowly destroy a person’s self-esteem. Brandon, kept this a secret from his family for four years. When he finally let them in on the secret, it was too late. Hopelessness and shame had already consumed him. And on May 29, Brandon jumped off from the balcony of his dormitory.

He left a letter for his family. In the letter he said that he wanted his death to raise awareness about his condition which experts call, pathological blushing or chronic blushing. This leads to another disease called erythrophobia or the fear of blushing. People who always blush are embarrassed that others will see them blush. Because of this, they have developed fear of turning red which can make them blush even more.

In his letter, Brandon wrote: “I am tired of blushing. It is exhausting to wake up every day and have to find little ways to avoid blushing situations.”

Chronic blushing can be treated by:

• hypnosis
• prescription drugs
• surgery
• psychological therapy

Here are some positive things to think about whenever you feel anxious about blushing:

• Do not dwell too much on yourself. Chances are, no one might actually be paying attention to your red face.
• Think about your friends, family and everyone who loves you. Remind yourself that they don’t care about you blushing. They love you just the same and that’s all that matters.
• Blushing is not such a big deal. There are others that could have been worse.
• No one could have noticed.