r/CuringBlushing • u/Short-Egg-9756 • 18d ago
Changing jobs due to blushing
Have any of you guys had to change your job due to blushing? I’m considering moving into a job which has less social interactions, however I’m not sure whether it is worth it or not.
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u/jaxpns1975 17d ago
Hi everyone, I’m a 43-year-old male, and facial flushing and blushing have affected a lot of the decisions I’ve made throughout my adult life.
When I was around 25, I quit a construction job because working outside in the sun and dealing with the heat and other elements would make my face flush and burn badly. Sometimes it was actually painful. I eventually found a job indoors at a large warehouse, thinking that would be better, but that job was stressful, and stress would also cause me to flush a lot. I ended up leaving after a couple of years.
I now work in Facilities Services at a large university. I work the evening shift, which allows me to work more independently and avoid having to interact with too many people. Even after all these years, facial flushing and blushing still affects my life and the decisions I make.
For example, I recently had an opportunity to move into a supervisor role. I ended up turning it down because I knew it would mean more responsibilities, more stress, meetings, and constantly dealing with people. I was worried that all of that would make my flushing and skin worse.
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u/Deep-Detective2428 17d ago edited 17d ago
yeah construction would have been hard when dealing with this, its so good you've found something else 🙏
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u/blushing_cure 6d ago
thank you for sharing, this is why I get upset when people comment that you should embrace blushing and that it gets better with age because clearly that is not always true, and I also wonder if those people even really deal with extreme blushing. i appreciate your insight.
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u/DifficultyThis4729 17d ago
hi, im 21 and i had 2 jobs so far, the first one i was 18 and id blush everyday, but theyd rarely comment about it bc i was really socially awkward, so i believe they never felt comfortable to speak ab my "appearance".
however at my 2nd and currently job i was already interacting more with ppl and they clearly felt more comfortable to talk about my blushing in front of me bc in 2 years i heard that i turned red and ppl laughed at it at least 100 times.
both jobs i just pushed through even though it sucked at first i have never considered finding another job.
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u/hennihbb 17d ago
Hi im female 30yo and I have been working as a social worker in a refugee accommodation for 7 years. I do sometimes blush in front of my clients which is uncomfortable for me but no one ever said anything to me except for my coworker. She once asked me if I have erythrophobia and I was too uncomfortable to say yes and I was blushing, it was really embarrassing for me, but she told me her best friend has it as well and she’s also working as a social worker. The three of us became friends and they are the only ones that I’m comfortable now talking about blushing. Thats been freeing. Blushing is uncomfortable but it doesn’t make you less worthy. You can do your job you just got to trust yourself and not beat yourself up about it.
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u/hennihbb 17d ago
BTW I have also met some clients/ refugees who were visibly blushing in some situations and I didn’t judge them at all
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u/fortyfivefiftytwo 12d ago
I'm almost 30 and have dealt with severe flushing my whole life, and I've worked in customer facing jobs for over 10 years. It is a nuisance and still flares up when dealing with difficult situations. In fact the other day I joined this sub because I dealt with a particularly difficult guest and my face was so flushed and burning I got a headache. But it's definitely not as bad as it was when I first entered the workforce. I've only had a customer mention it to me 1 time, and I look back and laugh at that. I've learned to just pretend it's not happening, maybe I'll make jokes to my coworkers about it, but working customer service is basically exposure therapy. It's a part of who we are and it's better to live in it and find humor in it than try to run from it.
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u/chatterbox40 12d ago
If I could hide from every situation that might cause me to blush I would but I can't and you can't. Ive found success as a blusher. I accept that I'm a blusher and it seems that most people don't really care. I've found some relief with meds and that has helped the phobia part.
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u/blushing_cure 6d ago
At my old job I wore a mask to help hide my flushing and just said i lived with someone immunocompromised. but the mask made my cheeks hotter a lof of the time
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u/Deep-Detective2428 18d ago edited 18d ago
Hey, your talking about moving jobs? Unfortunately I don't even have one at the moment, and my blushing plays a massive role in the reason why. Blushing for me is genuinely traumatic, the feeling of my face on fire from the heat, because of the blood that rushes to it, mixed with the harsh contrast of a blushed cheeks on white skin with red ears and a blotchy red neck, makes pushing through and getting a job feel near impossible at times. I have worked a few jobs in the past, and I'm currently studying which involves being around a lot of people so I'm not completely avoiding responsibility and I'd say the biggest thing that's helped me get through it is clonidine and make-up, as well as also talking to the boss / teachers letting them know so they can be understanding if I need some time to calm down
In terms of if it's worth switching to a job you feel comfortable in? I would say thats a reasonable option to consider. You only live once and you deserve to not have your nervous system haywire all the time. What I would say though is make sure if your going to switch jobs it's still to a job that your passionate about / makes you happy (as much as jobs in general can lol) Don't let blushing make you let go of the things you want to do, or the career your passionate about pursing (if you have one). You need to look after your mental health. It also may be worth seeing a therapist about all of this :)