As a teenager, Russell’s face would burn bright red for the smallest of reasons. When he entered his twenties he started blushing for no reason at all. He had a rare form of extreme blushing called idiopathic craniofacial erythema. It sent out all the wrong signals — to friends, family and to the opposite sex. And the blushing triggered something worse: Social Anxiety Disorder.

Up to one in 10 people suffer from this irrational fear of other people. From university to his first days at work, the phobia took over Russell’s life. He desperately tried to keep it hidden from everyone. Until he realized, one day, that enough was enough. From alcohol to prescription drugs, he tried every remedy available. He is now a successful advertising copywriter in London.

By turns innocent and wry, dark but optimistic, this heartwarming story tells how a mental health condition gripped one man’s life. And how he found his own way forwards in a world made for others. It’s ideal for anyone struggling with blushing or social anxiety, for their friends and family, and for anyone curious about what it’s like to travel from the edge of human experience back to the center.