If you want to know how to live with chronic blushing–and social anxiety–listen on. As an adolescent, Russell’s face and neck would turn crimson at the slightest thing. In his twenties, he began suffering from extreme blushing: idiopathic craniofacial erythema. It sent out all the wrong signals—to friends, family and the opposite sex. And it triggered something worse: Social Anxiety Disorder. Up to one in 10 people develop this irrational fear of other human beings. From university to work, Russell desperately tried to hide his secret from everyone. In an attempt to be ‘normal,’ he grabbed every remedy going, from drugs to herbs to bottles of absinthe. Through trial and error, he discovered a way to overcome social anxiety and live a fulfilling and rich life. By turns wry and shocking, dark and optimistic, Redface is the eye-opening true story of how one man found his own way forward in a world built for others. It will fascinate listeners who are socially anxious, their friends and family, and anyone who wants to know what it’s like to travel to the edge of human experience and back. Listen to this memoir and discover how to conquer your social anxiety and learn how to be yourself.

Extract

Chapter 1: Closed Door

I’m hovering just in front of a closed door. It’s in the office building where I work. I can see through the window of the door into the room beyond it. I’m listening carefully for approaching voices. Its symptom is called Idiopathic Craniofacial Erythema, which means uncontrollable and unprovoked facial blushing.

If you have social anxiety, this audiobook is for you.

If you’ve never heard of social anxiety, this audiobook is for you.

I’ve been quietly avoiding people all my life, hesitating behind a door. But I’m pushing that door wide open now. And I’m coming through it.

To talk to you.