Moxie I understand a lot of what you said.
For the most part, I just don't want to deal with people. Even when I have a good time with people I like, it still takes a huge emotional tole on me.
Work isn't a problem, I just put on my professional happy face and off I go.
But socially, everything is different, and so much harder.
Answer my phone? are you kidding me? A phone call is a sudden, unexpected social sutuation....... I hate answering my phone!
I love people and am very sensitive to other peoples pain and suffering, and would do anything I can to help others. But's it's the face to face thing I have problems with. How do you get close enough to someone that you don't have to always be on guard?
As a JW, you always have to be on-guard. I didn't leave until my thirties, now I have to learn to just be myself with people, regardless of the outcome. Not something we ever learned as JW's.