Welcome to the Personality Place

Thank you for the welcome.
I'm here because I'm a wanna-be recluse. I wanna be at home. When invited to go nearly anywhere, my first desire is to find a reason why I can't go. When invited to go on a trip, I find I'm more annoyed than anything else. I hide this well ... but inside I just want to be in my house either alone or with my children. While home I'm not idle at all. I write for a living, I exercise daily, I tend to my house plants (the one's I've not yet killed) and I take care of my family. When I am with my friends I fit in and feel very liked and loved... not odd at all. But I'm just always ready to make my break to get home to my pj's. I'm perfectly fine with my withdrawal from the world but my friends are starting to notice that I'm not around much and I've even been asked by one friend if I'm mad at her. I'm just wondering, is my desire for a reclusive lifestyle considered a disorder? I'm getting some grief about it that I find irritating. I hear myself asking the question inside, "Why can't people just leave me alone?" What's going on here? Any thoughts?

Wow - you sound like me! It's weird, because outwardly, I seem very outgoing, but inwardly, I am feeling the exact same things that you describe.

Well, welcome to PC, and maybe we can sort it out together

The advice I've been given so far is... if it's not bothering you to be more and more reclusive, then it's not a problem. While I find this comforting, I am still stuck with invitations from well meaning friends, people who actually enjoy my company, that I don't know how to turn down. When I do decline an invite, most often I find that it's unacceptable to them and I end up pushed or cooerced into going where ever and doing whatever when I'd just rather be HOME for heaven's sakes. How might I decline invitations in a way that doesn't hurt feelings but respects my desire to decline? I'm feeling so trapped. Truth is, (and trust me, there's no ego here) I know I'm fun. I know how to be fun, I've worked on that skill for years. That's why I'm in this sticky spot. I have friends who enjoy my company and I've worked hard over the years to be that person. Now I just want my space and it's not okay with those who love me and whom I love in return. How can I be the recluse I desire to be without offending my little corner of the world?

Hi Poetic,

I figured you could use your own thread so that we can have more discussion about your question. Ok?

Rap