Over a decade of being a recluse

@Zhead

Oof, and I thought I had it tough being removed from others for a year now! Sounds like you had a really hard time, being alone and removes for so long is no joke. But I think you picked an excellent place to post, in my experience the people here are very friendly and suportive. Looking forward to see you here on the forums :-)

Its hard keeping up with society as things are changing faster than ever before. Id like to think that a good place to start would simply be finding ppl with similar hobbies to talk to.

I suggest volunteer work. you can interact with people if you want, or if things get difficult you can focus on the volunteer task and people will understand. Then you can approach them and be more social when you feel ready. good luck

Do you have any hobbies or things you really enjoy? Maybe try to find an online community that shares the same interests as you. That gives you a basis as to what you can talk about and you can find people who are similar to you. Hope you find your way💛

I'm the same I have no idea what to post here. I was socially isolated for long time too, a decade easy and the anxiety is real. I had serious dissociation too and self harming behavior cropped up. I'm trying to get as many professional's in the mix as I can to mitigate it but now I'm realizing self harm is more than a physical injury. Avoiding others and shutting down are ways to emotionally self harm. Advice would be volunteering, getting job.

@Zhead