When something embarrasses us, it is quite common and usually happens at the most inopportune moment. Feeling ashamed is shown to others through blushing and this can have many physical and emotional causes in combination… and all of this stimulates the sympathetic nervous system. When you turn red to something it’s because your body is reacting and it activates the fight or flight response in the body, causing the blood vessels to dilate and your face to turn red. But how can you avoid turning red when something embarrasses you?
Ways to avoid turning red
- Control stress. When something embarrasses you, the body reacts with stress and that is why it is necessary to learn to control it. Relaxation techniques such as meditation or deep breathing can calm the nervous system and lower the blood pressure that is associated with anxiety. By being focused on the breath you cannot be focused on something else and you will relax, so the stimulus that embarrasses you will be in the background.
- Drink cold water. Drinking cold water will also help you because it will cool down the body and normalize your skin color so you won’t be so red.
- Cosmetic solutions. If you are a woman who blushes easily on a regular basis, you can also opt for the use of cosmetics to hide it. You can use makeup to hide blushing.
- Don’t feel bad about being red. If you turn red you don’t have to feel bad, and much less you should feel guilty. You need to understand that it is a physical response from your body that you cannot control all the time, so it is something natural. What others think will be their problem and not yours.
- Use your mind power. Another strategy is to use your imagination to stop turning red. Think things that distract your mind and that you can feel calmer. Have you never heard that if you are giving a conference you imagine the attendees in their underwear? Works!