Mindfreek454

D...Did your friends eat it?!

I assume the OP wanted to know what actual hotel chains you would recommend based on your experience. You would see things we wouldn't. What are the cleanest hotels you've stayed at and which ones do you prefer to stay in when you travel?

Hi Sara! Thanks for doing this AMA! I'm going to pose my same questions to you that went unanswered in the last AMA done by another Social Anxiety specialist.

"Holy shit dude, you could do a whole case study on my life alone. This will, no doubt, get buried amongst all of the other comments left here, but I have so many questions. I feel like I need to give you my entire life story for you to fully understand and be able to explain me to myself, but I don't want to take up too much of your time so I'll try keep it to a few questions.

1.) Why do some people develop SA and not others?

2.) Is SA a symptom of depression or is it a whole different animal?

2a.) If they're different, can suffering from both exacerbate the situation? Do you have to identify underlying problems with both and treat them all differently?

3.) My SA is affecting my quality of life. My work requires me to communicate with a team out of state. I try everything I can to keep from calling them. I much prefer emails and IMs. I also find it nearly impossible to connect with new people. I stall out at acquaintances. It's even harder for me when it's a woman and if I find her attractive, that's it. I'll clam up so bad that I'll say as little as possible in an attempt to keep from embarrassing myself somehow. I feel absolutely hopeless and hate myself sometimes. I could go on and on, but I'm sure you don't have the time. What are some steps you would recommend for someone like me to take to start on the journey to recovery?"

Thanks again, for any answers you may leave!

I would do nothing. I would stay at home, sit on my ass, and do nothing all day.

Do you remember how that song went? I'd be interested to hear it.