Experiences on a Reality Program to Confront Social Anxiety. Unfortunate Decision, I Realize Now.

Adam Felman, a well-known TV personality and chef, participated in a British reality show last year. The show, known as a Constructed Reality Show, involved five strangers hosting each other in their homes for three-course dinner parties, with a winner receiving £1,000.

Felman, who is also an Editor for Medical News Today and Greatist, a hearing-impaired musician, producer, and rapper, and the owner of every Nic Cage movie, found himself in a challenging environment. The individual experienced long and taxing days, being cramped in strangers' spare rooms, waiting for interviews, and sometimes being active for 20-hour shoots.

Despite the demanding schedule, Felman discovered that conversations can start as mundane as you like and that talking to everyone, even if it's just listening, is vital for a good conversation. He also found that even the simplest things were contrived and filmed from different angles.

The show's environment, with constant judgement and scoring, exacerbated Felman's social anxiety, a struggle he had been dealing with up until last year. He felt constantly pressured to come up with the least memeable comment on any situation and measure the risk of everything said.

However, Felman played up to the format, saying the most outlandish things he could say and thinking of fun things to do ahead of time. He realized that everyone constructs a persona and that building his own persona around making people feel great can help alleviate social anxiety.

Felman also learned that everyone's judgments are based on their own slants, gains, and biases rather than any gaping flaws. He concluded that most people are thinking about themselves and are not chiseling their lofty opinion into a stone tablet.

Participating in the show was seen as a form of exposure therapy for Felman. He found that the show's environment, with its tactical editing to create social friction and a gently mocking voiceover, was a bruising experience but also a space for learning and perspective.

The individual did not win the show, despite trying to be nice to everyone. He found that unless you threaten them, no one is going to embarrass you. He also learned that it's not as bad when there are no cameras rolling and encouraged talking to strangers.

Felman felt that the surreal, nightmare version of his worst fears was created by the directors acting as a stand-in for his own, socially self-destructive tendencies. After the show, he experienced prolonged social anxiety, knowing that the edit was out of his control and that it would be nationwide.

Despite the challenges, Felman found the experience enlightening. He realized that reality TV makes being "real" seem difficult and taxing. Yet, he concluded that everyone constructs a persona, and building his own persona around making people feel great can help alleviate social anxiety.