I feel like I can't get close to people. I have pushed all my friends away over the last few years and even now there is a guy that really wants to get to know me and I can't even talk to him?

It's very easy to push people away. And it's also hard to get close people. It's also scary to be rejected to it'll make it harder to ask someone out. So that all messes with your emotions. And turns your anxiety inside out. You never know who you can count on or trust. You're always worried you're going to let someone and yourself down. You're always worried someone is talking about you. You're always worried about what others think of you. You're always worried someone's out to mess everything you've worked hard for. You never know who's your friend or not.

Is there a reason for this? Maybe its anxiety or an event that has made you isolated from everyone and made you want to be alone, which can make you forget how to talk normally. Instead of jumping straight into it, maybe start with talking to someone you feel comfortable with first, to help build your confidence

I have learned that every person has their own way of handling things. It may seem much easier for one person to easily let other people in to their lives but it may be extremely hard for another. What you need to find out is why you can't get close to people. Sometimes it's as just simple as that you take time to get to know people it's not always something wrong with you.

In this case, maybe you are rejecting other's in order to protect yourself. rejection serve as a defend mechanism. Getting into an intimate relationship may be scary to you as it means a lot of disclosures and commitment, which may trigger some inner insecurities of you. As a result, you will choose to escape or block yourself out from getting too close to anyone. Staying far away until you feel safe enough seem to be a more controllable way of you to protect yourself from being hurt. However, as you said, pushing away your friends and getting hard to involve with people also made you feel anxious and loneliness and you are willing to change, which is a good start from here.

I have been in the same situation before and I know how hard it is when you yourself are the person who stops you from getting close to others. It is definitely challenging to open up and trust others, but the only way to get close to others is to share and ask questions about others. For me, I knew that I wanted to build close friendships with others and I had to overcome my shyness and fear of opening up to others and getting hurt. But I took a chance and tried talking to others I thought I could connect with, and there were sometimes when I wasn't able to get close but other times, it led to some of my strongest friendships. If you make the decision to get close to others, I think you should make intentional choices trying to open up to others.