Reply #1: You are not alone - I feel the same way.

[smirkymonkey]

I thing a large part of what gets me down about being alone a lot (by choice) is that I feel there is something wrong with it and I feel pressure to be different than I really am. Also, I am getting to the point where, the more I know about people, the less I want to spend time with them. I just find it too difficult and frequently not worth the effort.

I pretty much operate the way you do, and have similar problems with depression. I am also extremely hypersensitive and that makes being around people even more difficult. I pick up on peoples moods, energy, hostility, etc. and it affects my own mood. Also I tend to feel responsible for other people's feeling and moods when I am in a group and then I feel bad about myself.

I think it's about finding a balance. Personally, I would love to have a few dogs and then get together with good friends occasionally, but I could do without the forced socializing. I don't even really like to socialize w/ people from work, but mostly because it's a forced situation and they are not people that I would CHOOSE to be with.