Posted by adavis on May 19, 1998 at 14:51:40:
In Reply to: Re: Socializing posted by Ayla on May 18, 1998 at 21:21:59:
I have also had a lot of people say that I need to socialize more, at
certain times in my life. I think it really depends on whether you
are trying to escape in an unhealthy, "I don't want to deal with it"
kind of way, or whether you just plain know yourself, and you don't
want to be around other people. I often struggle with these issues because
I wonder about whether accepting myself (and my need to withdraw) is
good for me, or whether I need to try and change these things that
are sort of gut reactions to situations. For instance, as a five, I've
always been pretty shy in some circumstances...chit chatty small talk
is something I am terrible at, and hate. But, I have gotten much better
over the years because I waited tables for a long time and had to learn
how to deal with all kinds of people. Even though I really hated it, it
was tremendously good for me, I learned to not be afraid of social
interaction so much. But if your desire to be alone isn't linked to
the kind of fear I've had, I don't see anything wrong with it.