[Doh2007]

My mother called me at 2 a.m. demanding to know where my sister is. My sister is at her home, no mystery there.

But I'm feeling paranoid. Mom is in her stalker mode.

I feel like I've lost confidence, the confidence I need to leave the house and encounter other people. It's only going to get worse the closer it gets to Christmas. People get stressed and rude and dangerous on the roads.

I hate the Christmas that is "buy presents and see people who make you crazy."

[Perna]

Do you know any of your neighbors, get any newspapers delivered, work in your yard or on your car or anything? I run into my neighbors fairly often as I live in a townhouse and my group of houses is on a little circle so we can see 10-15 front doors easily.

See if you can stay connected with your immediate outside, your neighbors whom you know; make a little "circuit" of your yard or block and walk it during the day, picking up a rock or collecting trash in the street to throw away.

You don't have to talk to anyone, just "wave". But keeping in contact will make it a little easier when the holiday is over to get out again.

I'm good friends with my mailman too; often talk to him and when we drive through the development, he and I recognize one another from my car even if he isn't to our street yet. That makes me feel like I "know" the whole community since I'm friends with him and he's "everywhere" :-)

[_Hope_]

I agree with you Doh. Why is the real meaning of the holidays lost on those who should care the most about us.

Linda

[AlteredState01]

Know how your feeling about going outside. Please try to work on overcoming this, especially if this is relatively new behaviour. I let my fear of "out there" get the best of me and now I am a hermit (10++years) - only leaving my home for must-make-it appointments.

Perna has some good tips though - think I'll try a few...

[Doh2007]

Thanks guys. I felt so much better after just feeling heard that I took a shower and ran some errands.

I guess you could call me a hermit. It's my preferred way of being. Because I'm a sensitive type, people suck the living out of me.

When I need people, I run errands. That's about as much as I can handle. I'm married, and my husband is pretty needy, so I get all the attention I can stand.

Psychcentral satisfies my need to connect at a deeper level.

But my mother is still out there, trying to impose her will on me. I guess it's the child within who feels powerless and unprotected.