Best way to ask this girl out...?

Hello!

I, 26M, have had a very minimal and slow dating life for the past several years. After breaking up with my ex-girlfriend, losing some close friends, COVID hitting, and my job becoming fully remote, I was living alone and essentially became a hermit. During this time, I lost a lot of my social skills. My confidence plummeted, and my anxiety and depression increased significantly.

Recently, I decided that nothing will change unless I take action. In addition to other things I'm doing to help my mental health such as getting back in the the gym, I decided to get a new puppy which so far has dramatically helped in getting me out of this slump. She's forced me to get outside and interact with people, and so far I have been feeling significantly better. My social anxiety is still very much there, albeit it improves every time I go out and speak to someone new with my dog. People usually say it's best to work on yourself and figure out your own issues before trying to date, but I feel pretty good about the recent improvements I've made. I feel ready to start trying to date while simultaneously continuing to make improvements in my mental health and subsequently my self-esteem and confidence.

I've been taking my puppy outside my apartment complex to "use the bathroom" and for walks throughout the day. I ended up running into this girl who happens to have the same breed of dog as I do, but it's a bit older. I've had several coincidental, brief interactions with her over the past several weeks as we take our dogs out at similar times. She and her dog are absolutely adorable. She is extremely gorgeous, so friendly, and just seems like A1 wifey material. I am crushing on her hard and would feel dumb if I didn't at least try to ask her out or at least make effort to get to know her better.

Each time we've interacted, it's either been early in the mornings shortly after I wake up or later in the evenings when I'm just chilling after work and need to take the pup out for a potty break. Usually during those times I'm wearing a t-shirt and sweats and not feeling particularly confident as that obviously isn't the attire I'd choose to make a strong impression on a woman. So in addition to my social anxiety, I've also felt insecure which has likely made me come across as a little awkward as I go into a panic mode and don't really show my true personality. I just realized I haven't even introduced myself. We know each other's dogs' names but not our own, lol. It's always just a quick "how's your day going" and petting each other's dogs type-exchange, because in my head I'm thinking "I need to get away from her ASAP because I haven't yet showered and I probably look like a slob." I lose confidence and thus haven't engaged with her much conversationally.

I also do not have confirmation she's single. I haven't seen her with a guy once, and she's always by herself with her dog, so I am assuming she's single, but obviously I don't know for certain. With all that being said, other than ensuring I'm adequately presentable for future outings, I would love some input on how I can 1. start to make stronger impressions on her and remove any prior assumptions she may have about me due to the less than ideal interactions I've had with her so far, 2. confirm she's single, 3. get to know her better, 4. ask her out in a way she feels comfortable, and 5. if I get rejected, ensure future interactions wouldn't be awkward.

Thanks, all. Much appreciated!

Submitted July 25, 2021 at 11:26PM

Hello!I, 26M, have had a very minimal and slow dating life for the past several years. After breaking up with my ex-girlfriend, losing some close friends, COVID hitting, and my job becoming fully remote, I was living alone and essentially became a hermit. During this time, I lost a lot of my social skills. My confidence plummeted, and my anxiety and depression increased significantly.Recently, I decided that nothing will change unless I take action. In addition to other things I'm doing to help my mental health such as getting back in the the gym, I decided to get a new puppy which so far has dramatically helped in getting me out of this slump. She's forced me to get outside and interact with people, and so far I have been feeling significantly better. My social anxiety is still very much there, albeit it improves every time I go out and speak to someone new with my dog. People usually say it's best to work on yourself and figure out your own issues before trying to date, but I feel pretty good about the recent improvements I've made. I feel ready to start trying to date while simultaneously continuing to make improvements in my mental health and subsequently my self-esteem and confidence.I've been taking my puppy outside my apartment complex to "use the bathroom" and for walks throughout the day. I ended up running into this girl who happens to have the same breed of dog as I do, but it's a bit older. I've had several coincidental, brief interactions with her over the past several weeks as we take our dogs out at similar times. She and her dog are absolutely adorable. She is extremely gorgeous, so friendly, and just seems like A1 wifey material. I am crushing on her hard and would feel dumb if I didn't at least try to ask her out or at least make effort to get to know her better.Each time we've interacted, it's either been early in the mornings shortly after I wake up or later in the evenings when I'm just chilling after work and need to take the pup out for a potty break. Usually during those times I'm wearing a t-shirt and sweats and not feeling particularly confident as that obviously isn't the attire I'd choose to make a strong impression on a woman. So in addition to my social anxiety, I've also felt insecure which has likely made me come across as a little awkward as I go into a panic mode and don't really show my true personality. I just realized I haven't even introduced myself. We know each other's dogs' names but not our own, lol. It's always just a quick "how's your day going" and petting each other's dogs type-exchange, because in my head I'm thinking "I need to get away from her ASAP because I haven't yet showered and I probably look like a slob." I lose confidence and thus haven't engaged with her much conversationally.I also do not have confirmation she's single. I haven't seen her with a guy once, and she's always by herself with her dog, so I am assuming she's single, but obviously I don't know for certain. With all that being said, other than ensuring I'm adequately presentable for future outings, I would love some input on how I can 1. start to make stronger impressions on her and remove any prior assumptions she may have about me due to the less than ideal interactions I've had with her so far, 2. confirm she's single, 3. get to know her better, 4. ask her out in a way she feels comfortable, and 5. if I get rejected, ensure future interactions wouldn't be awkward.Thanks, all. Much appreciated!