Fear of Sweating



16932120005257165Agreed Homework for this week:00Agreed Homework for this week:SWEATING Part I: Finding out moreEveryone sweats every day. It’s a normal part of our human bodies and can occur for a variety of reasons. People may sweat because they have exercised, they are feeling nervous, they have a fast metabolism, they are dehydrated, they are rushing, they are hot or they are running a temperature and are ill. Sweating is the body’s way of cooling down. What are your beliefs about why people sweat? 6963855880Why is sweating a problem for me?It is not sweating, but beliefs about sweating that turn it into a problem. Social anxiety is just one of many reasons why people sweat. Because there are so many causes, other people won’t necessarily think you are sweating because of your anxiety. Why then do some people worry about sweating?Some people may be more prone to sweating than others, but for many people sweating has no great meaning or significance. People become concerned about sweating when they believe that it will produce negative or catastrophic consequences, such as ridicule, negative job evaluation, humiliation or rejection. The specific beliefs are individual, but here are some examples:If I sweat, people will notice and they will:Think I am anxiousThink I am weird and will want to avoid meThink I am unprofessional and can’t cope with my jobTalk about how strange I amPeople also become concerned about sweating if they think it says something negative about them as a person. For example, someone may believe that sweating means:I’m weirdI’m differentI’m a failureI’m weakWhat are your beliefs about sweating?To help identify your beliefs about sweating, please answer the following questions:If I sweat, people will notice and they will0-635 2. What is the worst thing about sweating for you?2121344093. What does sweating say about you as a person?004. What’s so bad about sweating? 00…………………………………………………………………………………………………...…………………………………………………………………………………………………...…………………………………………………………………………………………………...………………………………………………………………………………………………….…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….Self-focused attention and sweatingWhen people are worried about sweating in social situations, they become preoccupied with thoughts of sweating. Their attention is taken away from the conversation they’re having to a detailed monitoring of sweating and people’s reactions to it. This usually makes them feel more self-conscious and makes it more difficult for them to engage in the social situation. When their attention is turned to themselves, they may also picture how they are coming across. They may get an image in which they see themselves dripping with sweat.Where is your attention when you think you are sweating? Do you focus more on yourself or on the conversation you are having?0-635What image or impression do you have of how you appear to others?0130175Does that image make you feel more self-conscious and nervous or less self-conscious and more relaxed?0113242Safety BehavioursDo you do anything to prevent yourself from sweating or from others noticing you are sweating? If people have negative beliefs about sweating and what it means, they may do certain things to prevent themselves from sweating. For example, they may:Keep the room very coldWear summer clothing even when it’s coldThey may also try to prevent others from noticing that they are sweating. For example, they may:Wear light-coloured clothing to minimise the appearance of sweat Always wear a coat to conceal sweatingOpen windowsAlways carry an extra set of clothes with them to change intoAvoid lifting their armsIf people believe that others think negatively of sweating, they may also say certain things to ensure that they come across well. We classify these as safety behaviours as they are steps taken to ensure they come across well. For example, they may say:“It’s hot in here”“I’ve just been to the gym”“I was rushing all the way here”“I’m just getting over the flu”As discussed in more detail in an earlier part of this manual, we call these actions or behaviours Safety Behaviours.What do you do to control whether or not you sweat?0-635What do you do to try to prevent others from noticing that you are sweating?0126365What do you do to ensure that you come across well?0101600With a more clear understanding of some of the thoughts you have about sweating and some of the behaviours you do in relation to sweating, you’re ready for Part II: Checking things out.Part II: Checking things outIn this section, a number of experiments will be suggested that you can carry out on your own or observe someone else doing or perhaps try them with your therapist. Your therapist would be happy to do them with you, but you may wish to speed up your progress and have a go by yourself. 1. What do people really think about sweating?Conducting a surveyWhat do other people really think about sweating? Do they think it is as bad as you do? One of the ways to find out what people really think about sweating is to conduct a survey to find out more. We have completed many surveys on sweating here at the clinic (which are available if you’d like). They ask several different people a range of questions like:If someone had wet patches underneath their arms, would you notice? If so, what would you think?Would you think they couldn’t do their job?Would you avoid them?Would you think less of them?How can you tell if someone is doing their job properly?Before reading the surveys, ask yourself this question….Do you think people’s responses on the surveys will be more positive or more negative? Now have a look at them. You’ll need about 15 minutes.What did you find? Are you surprised? Do other people think sweating is as bad as you do?00Using Sweating as a Golden Opportunity One of the things that can be helpful to find out is how noticeable sweating really is. If you notice yourself feeling sweaty or hot, use the moment as a golden opportunity to test your predictions and beliefs. You may normally feel very self-conscious when you are sweating and tend to avoid looking at other people. Try to do the opposite. Look up and around at other people. If you would usually hide yourself by putting on a coat, instead take off your coat and go and talk to somebody. Focus on their reactions and what is actually going on rather than how sweaty you feel.Record your findings on a Behavioural Experiment record sheet, you can find a spare one at the end of this module.What did you observe when you felt sweaty, dropped your safety behaviours and focused on how others were responding?1119728467 Creating more Golden Opportunities A very helpful experiment to discover whether others notice sweat and how they react is to walk briskly or jog until you feel hot and sweaty and then talk to other people. Try this on your walk to meet friends, to work, or to the local shop this week. As above, when you are around others, switch your attention externally to collect as much information as you can about their attention and reactions. Remember to drop any safety behaviours.Record your findings on a Behavioural Experiment record sheet, you can find a spare one at the end of this module.What did you learn from this exercise? Is sweating as noticeable and as significant to others as you expected?0279400 What do you actually look like when you feel sweaty? As you may have discovered earlier in your treatment, our feelings are not a reliable guide of how we come across. A powerful experiment to discover this is to get somebody to help you (this could be your therapist in one of your sessions) by taking a photograph or recording while you do something around others when feeling sweaty. You could either do something that tends to make you feel sweaty (such as speaking to a group of people), or your could purposefully create the appearance of sweat by going for a run (as suggested above) before speaking to some people. You could also try putting water on your face or forehead or underneath your arms, wherever you believe your sweating really shows, then asking somebody on the street for directions. The camera will capture how you look to other people, not how you feel, so it really is the best evidence of how you really come across. ?One option if you do not have somebody to hand, is to try this experiment by recording yourself giving a brief talk to one of our virtual audiences. By following this link to You Tube you will find a number of 5-minute videos of pre-recorded audiences. The audiences vary in size (3 people to a large group) and also difficulty. The standard audiences are fairly neutral. In the more challenging audiences, some participants may appear to be somewhat distracted.?You can access these by following this link: is similar to the experiment you did earlier in the treatment when you look to see how you have come across. Remember that when you look at the video you should watch it as if you were watching TV, and to not worry about ‘analysing’ the people you can see, and as much as you can not to remember what it felt like at the time.What did you see? What was your overall impression of how you looked or sounded? (Remember to look or listen to yourself as though you were observing a stranger, only making judgements on what you see and hear, not on how you feel. 1905169300?Did person on the screen look as sweaty as predicted? -9122815007200Did other people notice the sweating?190517039200Did they react as predicted?190517377800What have you learnt from this experiment?-3365517737703. What is the worse that could happen?From your work on this module so far we hope you are starting to learn that sweating is a normal part of being human, that it is not as noticeable as you feel it is, and that if others do notice it they tend not to react in a negative way. However, you might still have a fear about how other people would react if sweating was brought to their attention. People who have a fear of sweating often worry that others would react negatively by ridiculing them, such as pointing it out and laughing.So how might we test this out? What would actually happen if this did occur? And how long-lasting would the effects be?One experiment is to have a conversation about sweating, in earshot of someone else, like on a bus, train or in a restaurant. For example, you could have a phone call (or pretend to have a phone call) in which you mention having sweated when presenting some information in a meeting at work.What do you fear would happen? What is the worst that can happen? What reactions do you fear (people laugh at me, point, look round and stare/snigger)?0-635What did you learn from this exercise? How did others respond? What does this tell you about how significant sweating is to other people?0-6354. How much do people notice sweating? One of the things you’ll want to find out is how noticeable sweating really is. The way to do that is to use water to re-create what it feels like when you do sweat. For this experiment, you’ll deliberately put water on your forehead and underneath your arms, for example, or anywhere on your body where you are concerned sweating will show. Then have a conversation with a stranger on a bus or perhaps buy something in a shop and observe how other people respond to you. This is a great experiment to find out what sweating looks like to other people. You know you’re not sweating, it’s just water. Water on your body re-creates the feeling of sweating and the same look to other people. Now you’ll be able to get information about how people actually respond to you when it feels and looks like you’re really sweating.If you put water on your forehead and underneath your arms, and make it look as noticeable as it feels when you sweat….If you make it look as much as you think your worst sweating would be, then have a conversation with a stranger, what do you think would happen? What is the worst thing that you think would happen?What will happen?How much do you believe that will happen 0-100%How do you think the person you’re talking to will respond? How will you know? -15028385230How will they behave?0-635When you’re completing this experiment – and all the experiments suggested in this module – remember to check out what people’s reactions really are…look at them and rely on what you’re seeing, rather than what you’re feeling to make conclusions about how they’re responding. Once you have completed the experiment…answer the following question. What actually happened? Were your predictions correct? What does this tell you about how noticeable sweating is? What does this tell you about how acceptable you are to others, even when noticeably sweaty? 0-635What has this experiment taught you? 423122344Pulling it all together1. What did you discover were your key thoughts about sweating? Did they have a role in how you felt and behaved in social situations?01320802. How noticeable is sweating really?0-6353. How noticeable is it when you sweat?01193804. Now think back to the image you have had of yourself in social situations (described at the start of this module and in the model of your social anxiety that you pulled together early in treatment). Is it accurate? 0590555. What do other people actually think about sweating?0126153Key PointsThere are many causes of sweating, so although social anxiety can make sweating worse, people won’t necessarily think you are sweating because of your anxietyThe experiments and survey in this module have probably shown you that most people don’t even notice if you are sweatingIf they do notice and attribute it to anxiety, they probably won’t think it’s important. They are more likely to be interested in what you say and doFocus of attention can help sweating. That is, if you get more involved in the content of what’s being said and less involved in monitoring your performance, you’ll find the conversation more enjoyable and you’ll be less likely to sweat….It’s a win, win situation!If sweating is not as noticeable as it feels and other people aren’t that bothered about it, if it’s not one of the ways we evaluate friendships and job performance, ask yourself: is it helpful to worry about it? Would it be more helpful to get lost in a conversation? You may want to return to ‘Letting go of self-focus and safety behaviours’. Well done!SWEATING SURVEYRESPONDENT 1Please take a few minutes to answer the following:1. Do you ever sweat at work?Yes2. What do you do when you sweat?Wipe my nose (which is where I notice my sweat)3. Are you aware of other people sweating?No4. If a colleague had wet patches underneath his arms, would you notice?I doubt it5. If so, what would you think?That he was sweating and then I would forget about it6. Would you say anything? If so, what?No7. Would you laugh or ridicule him?No8. Would you change your behaviour towards him?No, not at all9. Would you change your opinion of him?No- my opinion of people is nothing to do with whether they sweat or not10. Would you reject him?No11. If you saw this colleague every day and every day his shirt had wet patches underneath the arms and on the back, would you notice?Probably not12. If so, what would you think?If I did notice all I would think is that he sweats and then I would think about something else13. Would you think there was something wrong with him?No- people vary in how sweaty they are14. Would you talk to other people about it?No- I don’t think it would be of interest to other peoplePlease indicate your profession:Clinical psychologistRESPONDENT 2Please take a few minutes to answer the following:1. Do you ever sweat at work?Seldom2. What do you do when you sweat?Get air3. Are you aware of other people sweating?Not particularly4. If a colleague had wet patches underneath his arms, would you notice?Probably5. If so, what would you think?Nothing in particular6. Would you say anything? If so, what?No7. Would you laugh or ridicule him?Certainly not8. Would you change your behaviour towards him?Certainly not9. Would you change your opinion of him?Certainly not10. Would you reject him?Certainly not11. If you saw this colleague every day and every day his shirt had wet patches underneath the arms and on the back, would you notice?Yes12. If so, what would you think?He's a 'sweater'13. Would you think there was something wrong with him?No - some people sweat more than others14. Would you talk to other people about it?NoPlease indicate your profession:Qualitative researcherRESPONDENT 3Please take a few minutes to answer the following:1. Do you ever sweat at work?Yes2. What do you do when you sweat?Nothing really, maybe I take a layer off, or open the window for a bit if the room is excessively hot, but usually nothing- what can you do?3. Are you aware of other people sweating?Not unless it is excessive no.4. If a colleague had wet patches underneath his arms, would you notice?Probably5. If so, what would you think?He was hot or had been rushing around6. Would you say anything? If so, what?No7. Would you laugh or ridicule him?No8. Would you change your behaviour towards him?No9. Would you change your opinion of him?No10. Would you reject him?No11. If you saw this colleague every day and every day his shirt had wet patches underneath the arms and on the back, would you notice?Probably yes12. If so, what would you think?That he was really busy all the time and running around doing stuff – a hectic time at work. Or that he sweated a lot13. Would you think there was something wrong with him?No, in fact one of my close friends sweats a lot and he is still a really close friend... some people sweat more than others, that is all.14. Would you talk to other people about it?NoPlease indicate your profession:Research WorkerRESPONDENT 4Please take a few minutes to answer the following:1. Do you ever sweat at work?Yes -I'm sweating now - just been in a boiling hot building moving furniture, and wishing I'd worn old clothes because I'm also dusty. 2. What do you do when you sweat?Nothing much - might check the smell level. Wait to cool down.3. Are you aware of other people sweating?Not particularly - it is not something I go out of my way to look for!4. If a colleague had wet patches underneath his arms, would you notice?Well, I do have a colleague who is a bit of a sweater in summer, and sometimes I've noticed, but it’s not a big issue or anything important. And one of the people I used to work with a lot often had sweaty patches (usually after cycling into work, also if it was hot I think) - so I would notice from time to time, but it didn't mean anything very much to me or to anyone else as far as I know. In fact, now I come to think of it, everywhere I've worked there've been some people who have sweated from time to time, or who have been regular sweaters -t its pretty common. One of my friends always describes herself as a sweater!5. If so, what would you think?Nothing - if anything, I think they are sweating because it’s hot.6. Would you say anything? If so, what?No - why would I?7. Would you laugh or ridicule him?No - why?8. Would you change your behaviour towards him?Of course not - it is irrelevant9. Would you change your opinion of him?No - it didn't and wouldn't10. Would you reject him?No, of course not, that would be ridiculous11. If you saw this colleague every day and every day his shirt had wet patches underneath the arms and on the back, would you notice?Well I've probably seen that happen (I'm sure my friend Vincent used to turn up regularly with damp patches) but its not something I'd be paying particular attention to - would more likely notice it from time to time and most of the time not notice, or not register.12. If so, what would you think?Nothing more than I've already said13. Would you think there was something wrong with him?No, not at all, some people just have that type of metabolism/constitution14. Would you talk to other people about it?No, it is really not very interesting!Please indicate your profession:Nurse... and I've cooled down while doing this survey!RESPONDENT 5Please take a few minutes to answer the following:1. Do you ever sweat at work?Must do2. What do you do when you sweat?Nothing, just get on with it - if aware of being hot, then open the window and have some water3. Are you aware of other people sweating?Not usually4. If a colleague had wet patches underneath his arms, would you notice?May do, may not (may be a female colleague - coz they sweat too - whatever they like to think)5. If so, what would you think?Normal6. Would you say anything? If so, what?Unlikely7. Would you laugh or ridicule him?No8. Would you change your behaviour towards him?No9. Would you change your opinion of him?No10. Would you reject him?No11. If you saw this colleague every day and every day his shirt had wet patches underneath the arms and on the back, would you notice?Might do12. If so, what would you think?He/she is sweaty13. Would you think there was something wrong with him?Depends on conditions - if every day in the office it was noticeable and the office was freezing cold then yes I might think something was wrong14. Would you talk to other people about it?Can't see why I wouldPlease indicate your profession:Clinical psychologistRESPONDENT 6Please take a few minutes to answer the following:1. Do you ever sweat at work?I expect so, I don't really notice.2. What do you do when you sweat?Take my jumper off3. Are you aware of other people sweating?It’s not something I can remember noticing4. If a colleague had wet patches underneath his arms, would you notice?Maybe if they were very pronounced5. If so, what would you think?That he was hot6. Would you say anything? If so, what?No, definitely not7. Would you laugh or ridicule him?Of course not8. Would you change your behaviour towards him?Not in any way that I can think of. 9. Would you change your opinion of him?No, my opinion of people is not based on whether or not they are hot or sweaty10. Would you reject him?No11. If you saw this colleague every day and every day his shirt had wet patches underneath the arms and on the back, would you notice?Again, I think they would have to be quite pronounced. 12. If so, what would you think?That he had the kind of metabolism that made him frequently hot (or something similar, I don't know much about this kind of thing)13. Would you think there was something wrong with him?No14. Would you talk to other people about it?Well no, I don't think there would be much to say about itPlease indicate your profession:Research assistantRESPONDENT 7Please take a few minutes to answer the following:1. Do you ever sweat at work?YES SOMETIMES2. What do you do when you sweat?REMOVE SOME CLOTHING AND COOL DOWN A BIT3. Are you aware of other people sweating?NOT USUALLY4. If a colleague had wet patches underneath his arms, would you notice?PROBABLY 5. If so, what would you think?THAT HE WAS HOT6. Would you say anything? If so, what?NO 7. Would you laugh or ridicule him?DEFINITELY NOT 8. Would you change your behaviour towards him?NO 9. Would you change your opinion of him?NO 10. Would you reject him?NO 11. If you saw this colleague every day and every day his shirt had wet patches underneath the arms and on the back, would you notice?PROBABLY BUT I ALSO THINK I'D GET USED TO IT 12. If so, what would you think?THAT HE'S INCLINED TO SWEAT 13. Would you think there was something wrong with him?NO SWEATING IS NATURAL 14. Would you talk to other people about it?NO Please indicate your profession:DOCTORRESPONDENT 8Please take a few minutes to answer the following:1. Do you ever sweat at work?Yes sometimes - mainly in meetings when the room is stuffy2. What do you do when you sweat?I don't do anything though I am aware of it3. Are you aware of other people sweating?Not particularly4. If a colleague had wet patches underneath his arms, would you notice? Yes, probably5. If so, what would you think?I'd think they were hot6. Would you say anything? If so, what?No, I wouldn't say anything7. Would you laugh or ridicule him?Not at all8. Would you change your behaviour towards him?Not at all9. Would you change your opinion of him?No10. Would you reject him?No11. If you saw this colleague every day and every day his shirt had wet patches underneath the arms and on the back, would you notice?Probably12. If so, what would you think?Just that he sweated easily or got hot easily13. Would you think there was something wrong with him?No 14. Would you talk to other people about it?NoPlease indicate your profession:BarristerRESPONDENT 9Please take a few minutes to answer the following:1. Do you ever sweat at work?Yes2. What do you do when you sweat?Nothing3. Are you aware of other people sweating?I must have noticed in the past, but I cant think of a time recently when I have noticed anyone sweating4. If a colleague had wet patches underneath his arms, would you notice?Possibly, although it is hard to say as there may have been many times whenI haven’t noticed.5. If so, what would you think?That they were hot, or had been rushing somewhere6. Would you say anything? If so, what?No7. Would you laugh or ridicule him?Certainly not8. Would you change your behaviour towards him?No9. Would you change your opinion of him?No10. Would you reject him?No11. If you saw this colleague every day and every day his shirt had wet patches underneath the arms and on the back, would you notice?Possibly, but since I have never noticed this in a colleague, I couldn’t say so for sure12. If so, what would you think?13. Would you think there was something wrong with him?No14. Would you talk to other people about it?NoPlease indicate your profession:Research assistantRESPONDENT 10Please take a few minutes to answer the following:1. Do you ever sweat at work? Sometimes.2. What do you do when you sweat? Nothing.3. Are you aware of other people sweating? No.4. If a colleague had wet patches underneath his arms, would you notice? Probably not.5. If so, what would you think? That it was hot.6. Would you say anything? If so, what? No, it’s not important.7. Would you laugh or ridicule him? No, not at all.8. Would you change your behaviour towards him? No, not at all.9. Would you change your opinion of him? No, not at all.10. Would you reject him? No!11. If you saw this colleague every day and every day his shirt had wet patches underneath the arms and on the back, would you notice? Probably not.12. If so, what would you think? That it was hot.13. Would you think there was something wrong with him? No, not at all.14. Would you talk to other people about it? No, it’s not important.Please indicate your profession: Writer/DirectorYour feedbackWe have recently developed these modules as part of our long-standing treatment for Social Anxiety. It is important for us to continually develop our treatment so that we can offer the best possible help for people with this problem.We would be grateful if you could give us your feedback on this module.What have you found helpful in this module?Were there any parts of this module that you found difficult to use, or hard to understand?Are there any changes which you suggest we should make to this module, or any suggestions for how we could make it more user-friendly?Any other feedback? (please continue overleaf if needed)Thank you!RECORD SHEET FOR NOTING BEHAVIOURAL EXPERIMENTSDateSituationPredictionWhat do you think will happen?How much do you believe it will, 0-100?How would you know if it had?ExperimentWhat can you do to test the prediction?(remember to focus on what actually happens rather than your feelings & let go of Safety Behaviours)OutcomeWhere was your attention focused?What actually happened?Was the prediction correct?How much do you believe your original prediction now? 0-100%What I learnedIs there a more balanced view?What does this say about you more generally in social situations?How much do you believe your new, more balanced view? 0-100%How can you take this forward? ................
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