Hi Stieg,

I can relate to what you are saying. But what is not clear to me is - why do you avoid people?

1. Do you avoid people because you are afraid of them?

This is called social anxiety. I have this condition. I have been bullied by some boys when I was a kid. That coupled with poor social skills ensured that I became a loner. To resolve this, you need to find out what exactly you are afraid of - are you afraid of people ganging up on you and shaming you? (this is for me). So, you need to learn not to put yourself in a vulnerable situation before people you don't trust and build up skills to defend yourself.

2. Do you avoid people because you cannot relate to them?

If this is so, chances are you have not had any role models of social interactions. I did not have any good role models for social interaction. It was confusing to me how some people get along so well with others, but I can't. The problem was - I have been under the impression that you just please people, talk about subjects they want to talk about, be nice to them, you will have friends. But it is not so, for any social interaction to be successful, there has to be a connection and that connection comes only when you have that connection with yourself i.e. you like yourself, you take care of yourself, you are not afraid to make your needs a priority. When you are in touch with yourself, you can talk to people as equals and you will have a more genuine connection.