People get cautious when they've been burned. Maybe your parents' behavior is more constrained, but I seriously doubt that deep down they aren't the same people. Plan to spend less time with them and more of that time exploring other people. That's where your future lies. Nice that you don't bear ill will toward your parents, but their most important presence in your life belongs to your past. Move on.

Stay in the house and what is there to look forward to? Step out and roll the dice? You'll win some and lose some. Rejection hurts, but it doesn't have to be lethal. You're not going to be everyone's cup of tea. If you strike up a connection and it fizzles out, you're no worse off than you were before.

I get that you're not trying to judge people. Actually, that's something you should do and will do. When you've been hopeful about a friendship in the past, you've judged that there was some basis for expecting good things to come of the connection. Then you got disappointed. So lower the expectations, telling yourself you don't really know the person in the beginning.

The more people you interact with, the better the odds are that you might bump into people you can click with. I'm not socially confident, so I feel best in a situation where I'm doing something organized with others. Work can be kind of satisfying for that reason. Find other venues where there is an organized activity, like classes or clubs. Could be bird-watching, taking a guided tour through an interesting part of a nearby town, art class . . . things that don't cost a lot.

You may say you look for the good in people (and I believe you) but look at what you fear. When I fear that people are going to cruelly reject me, I am really saying that I am actually inclined to think that other people are likely to be cruel. So I've really already made a judgement about them - and a pretty negative one at that. That's coming from the cruel treatment you got at home as a child. You are judging that people you don't know are likely to be mean.

There are mean people out there for sure (read the crime stories in the paper.) But you aren't the only nice person. There's lots of people a lot like you out there. You just don't know who's who. You can't . . . not till you try them out.

If you work, you have limited time to do other things. I know it's hard. Try to join up with some organization that does good things. Such a group attracts good people. Volunteer at the local animal shelter. Even if the humans there are slow to warm up to you, the puppies will be so glad to see you. Make a commitment to stick with it for 6 months no matter what. Tell yourself you can throw in the towel after 6 months, but not before. Take a chance.