How can I break free from my own world?

[Expression]

I am having trouble with holding my solitary interests so devoutly.

 

I believe that being an only child and living a sheltered life for much of formative years has caused me to entertain and occupy myself with a lot of hobbies and media on my own. I do not regret this, because they are fun, enriching and dear to me.

 

But now I find it hard connecting with people because my personal interests have been rooted so strongly in me. And I feel like all that time, everyone else was socializing much more, thereby striking a balance between personal and group engagements.

 

It's caused me to always feel at least somewhat annoyed/disgruntled/dissatisfied with people when they are turned off by my interests and suggestions. This just reinforces a wall between us and making me feel distant from people who I might genuinely wanna get closer to. ](*,)

 

I wish I could be careless and nonchalant about it (like everyone else is), but I just can't, no matter how hard I try. It feels like my personal interests are much more tightly bound and prominent in me than others' interests. Because they've been such a part of me for much of life thus far, I feel very defensive and overprotective about them. It's a persistent obstacle when I'm trying to form a closer friendship with people.

 

There is no way that I can abandon the things I love, but how can I get my mind free of my own world when I want to? And be able to suppress that frustrating depression I feel inside whenever I realise, yet another person just simply has no interest in something I really like or enjoy?

[rusty_boi]

I have 2 suggestions 1) take up new hobbies that can involve u with other people, but dont abandon ure old 1s. A team sport is always a good way to make friends. Only you can really pick a new hobby that will make u meet new people or more compatible with people at the least.

 

2) maybe try to slightly alter ure current hobbies so they allow u to interact with other people e.g if u play tennis find a partner to play doubles with. Or if u like cars join a car enthusist club.

 

if you do both or either one of these things im sure u wont have long until u get along with people, at the very least u will be hanging out with people who have the same interests as u