[acetane]

howdy! i'm new here, so that's now i'm starting off most of my posts for now ;v;

i'm 16 and homeschooled, and nearly all my friends are online. they're about all the social interaction i get, minus a 10hr/week job.

i think the normal attitude is to want to be able to branch out and interact with people without fear someday in the near future, and i have that attitude too. but the desire to just break off all connections and literally live like a hermit is overwhelmingly enticing. it just seems nice. it seems ideal. it doesn't take my energy and cause me anxiety the way social interaction sounds like it would.

does anyone else feel this way? where they'd rather lead a life that accommodates avpd than 'get better' one day?

[Blue_Bird]

Hi acetane, welcome to PC!

I don't have AVPD but I understand what you're feeling. I have social anxiety and have trouble doing the most basic of things that involve being around other people. I'd much rather stay at home. But part of getting better is facing your fears. Have you considered going to a support group? It can be very helpful to be with a group of people with similar issues, and it gets you out of the house and around more people.

-Take care,

[A Red Panda]

Sure, sometimes I think life would be easier away from everyone. And then I consider all the things that I'd be without - food, electricity, etc. No matter what I would do, I'd have to somehow pay for wherever I was living, and unless I managed to find somewhere to live with all the resources I'd need... well, that would take a loooong time, and I'd have to go without things that I like - like books, and internet.

So, society it is!

[AzulOscuro]

Hi, acetance!
I can't avoid looking back and see myself in your shoes when I was 17. I became an hermit and I didn't have interaction with others for seven years, so I can't be a model for you. I did what you are thinking to do.

What can I teach you? Nothing.
But, think that life works better when we consider the point in the middle. That is, for your own well being, it's better to not closed completely to people. You shouldn't give up contact with people, at least, those you feel moré confortable with.
Let me tell you that there are people who are worthy to know and share with.

Have you got the possibility to say your parents how you are feeling? They can help you to look for a good therapist.

I don't want you to suffer what I suffered in my way to the world.

Being here with us and tell us how you are going!
A hug!

[NoChildSupport]

I haven't been diagnosed with avpd or anything but it pretty much describes my whole life. I'm 16 & homeschooled too. I feel the same way you do. I would like to be able to be social & make friends without all of these problems but at the same time I don't have the desire to make friends. Sometimes I think I only want friends because people expect me to have them & I don't want to be looked down for not having any. The thought of cutting off contact is enticing to me too. I'd like to learn to be a HAPPY & CONTENT loner instead of a miserable one who can't function in the world.