I try and see my family but it is hard to leave the house. it’s also a thirty minute drive there and back to go see them. but it’s a nice time…they always have beer and don’t mind me having two or three. just enough to keep me lifted for an hour or so and when I sober up I go home. It is extremely enriching to my life to see my mother my sister and my nephews and niece. we just lost our step dad although we all called him “dad” as to my real father. we are sad but seeing eachother and cooking out is a real treat and I feel blessed that I Fight to get out of the house sometimes…I totally understand the wanting to be alone. I want to be alone a lot and Angela is mostly keeping to herself these days.
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Yes, and I dislike the term. The word hermit I believe dates back to a settlement of jews that lived out in the desert in caves.
I prefer my own company, due to delusions I am trying to overcome but they are so strong, I am shown and told they are delusions, at times I can almost see my way through it, but its safer for me to be alone and I really don’t mind it.
However I am trying to make an effort, and I go out to socialise now once a week (to a group)
Maybe you could try and get someone from your mental health team to try and talk to your family and help them understand why you prefer your own company…etc
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Alone, alone and alone.
I actually sometimes make an effort to isolate myself when I need to dig into my own head and fix some shyt in it.
Other than that, I am very extroverted. I sometime isolate because I become afraid of how I would make others feel if I didn’t lock myself up. But when things are well, I gain energy from social interaction and can do it all day.
No I am not a hermit, I take every chance within my lifestyle parameters (nothing good happens after midnight, no drinking either) to socialize, and I enjoy it. I can be a hermit…like…just sort of pace around for days like “I wonder what Mouse is thinking…” and then I sit my ass down and write essays on topics or something, or like when I paced for 10 hours and then wrote 4 thesis ideas, all of which were deemed good ideas, one “great”, and another “way above my grade level”.
I think behaviors serve purposes.
Thanks everyone for your replies.
It is interesting to see others’ take on the issue.
There’s nothing wrong with enjoying your own company and socializing how and when you want.
And I guess it’s true SZ and lonerness aren’t totally correlated just like creativity or IQ or anything aren’t specific to SZ. I guess negative symptoms and even positive symptoms can lead to a more solitary life with SZ though.
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Kind of comes with the Illness as well. Especially with the negatives. I don’t like people much myself. We are social being and need social contact. Maybe build up your social skills. Social groups. Offline support groups are helpful. Make friends locally with a mental illness. Advantage with the groups is finding out what local programs/support is available in your local area. often for free. Also books. Outdated but how to make friends and influence people by Dale Carnegie is worth a read. More up to date the current expert in reading material on communication skills is Dr Lillian Glass. https://www.drlillianglass.com/
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I see family but that is it. No friends to speak of.
Alone most of the time, for me seems like some thing or someone always gets in the way of any type of social activities, so just gave up on going anywhere, it’s like living in hell and can drive you to insanity, but it still beats having to deal with the herd.
99% of my time has been spent alone for years, sure there are on line friends, but it is not the same as hanging out with someone. I do see people at work, brief few minute exchanges other than that its back to my cell.
I feel sorry for those of you who are stuck at home, but I know how hard it is to get out there.