Reply #3: I can relate...

[Spider Jerusalem]

I, too, am an egocentric, selfish loner...and this seems to be the rock upon which most of my relationships have foundered. For me, it seems that my basic and essential self was the problem, most of the time...most of my partners, it seems, either wanted me to be someone I wasn't, or expected things from me I wasn't equipped to give them. I know it's a rather frustrating feeling, and I wish I knew what to tell you...I've found that the best you can do is to sincerely explain your need for a fixed amount of time alone to decompress and get away from the demands the world and the people in it make on your time and sanity...explain that it would be the same with anyone, and that it's nothing to do with him...and if he genuinely cares he'll try to understand (even though he won't really understand, since extroverts have completely different neurological wiring).

Hope that helps some...it's the best I can do, I'm afraid...