I'm not sure if these are Anxiety attacks or not but, sometimes when I am at an interview or when I meet new people, I begin to sweat and once I start, it does not stop. I sweat a LOT. It's very embarrassing and I end up with my face all wet. Cure?

Hi DoAqua,

It does sound like your excessive sweating is due to anxiety, based on what you describe, especially if you don't sweat excessively at other times.

I don't know of a "cure", per se. Rather, the best thing to do to reduce the sweating is to reduce the anxiety that is triggering it.

Most likely there is an internal dialogue that occurs during interviews or when you meet people. Perhaps you become unusually self-conscious, worrying about the impression you are making, or how they are perceiving you. This is often connected to self-esteem issues.

I encourage you to monitor your thoughts when you feel anxious in these situations. Unfortunately, it probably becomes a vicious cycle because if you notice that you are starting to sweat you become even more anxious because it's embarrassing.

Learning relaxation techniques such as breathing exercises may also be helpful. Practice breathing deeply and slowly before you meet someone or before you go into an interview.

If the problem persists you may want to try talk therapy. Therapy can help address the underlying issues for the anxiety you are feeling and help you to learn ways to better manage it.

Other things that will help anxiety include regular aerobic exercise, yoga, and meditation.