Afraid to being social will mean losing my privacy

[HookTheCodfish]

I am an usually introverted person, always have been. I am usually content to work alone on creative projects. But I do get lonely sometimes and like having friends to hang with now and then. The problem is that I'm afraid if I open up to anyone they will come speeding in and invade my privacy and try to take all of my time. This happened with my mentally ill mother and my bipolar friend. So I think those two have made me paranoid.

I'm even afraid to tell people about my projects (book I'm writing, YouTube channel I'm putting together), because I'm afraid they'll insist on giving me "help" that I don't want.

Is this a normal fear for an introvert?

[Nispire.com]

You're a Man on his own, you don't want any help from others which may cause privacy break, nothing to worry about that, but if you want to grow in your business you'll need other people help though.

[Kirk]

I think you will be OK if you discuss things with others and not have to worry about any
privacy issues, as you can control that part of your life to a great extent.

[The Intolerable Kid]

Keeping people at arms length is ok, be polite but don't let them pry. The easiest way to do this is to ask them questions about themselves. That way you're not the topic, they are. Or discuss innocuous subjects like the weather. When you feel that someone is trying to push their way into your life, remember it is ok to tell them to back off.

[metal4life]

Well i cant even tell someone something private, to afraid of their reaction :/

[sarsaparilla]

I think this is a normal fear. You want to maintain your privacy and this is perfectly acceptable. It's good to have boundaries, it helps us know where we end and someone else begins... If someone can't accept your boundaries, you don't have to spend time with them or you can limit the amount of time you are with them. You always have the power to say "no" if someone tries to be involved with your projects. You have control as to what you share with others. I hope you find friends who are respectful of your boundaries. All the best

[SarahW1]

I am the same, I am a control freak, i admit it. No on can do a job better than i can do. I have let few into my life, but the few that i have have been understanding and realise this. You just have to be clear of how you operate and make sure they understand that you need to be in control of your own work.

[Spider666]

What you're feeling is normal for any creative/artistic person. This goes hand in hand with introversion since many artists are introverts. Creating art means digging deep inside yourself in order to obtain something that represents your feelings and emotions. Very few extroverts have the discipline and focus to sit down and write a book, for instance. They also don't really see the point in it, since they feed off of external things.

[maximadam]

I really empathize with your situation. I'm very independent and love working on creative projects. I can happily spend a few days to weeks reading, writing, and working on other things. If i go socialize I have a lot of fun, but it takes time away from things I want to be doing. What I think is interesting is you don't want to tell people about your projects because you are worried they will help. I often don't like to brag about all the cool things i'm doing because then I have to keep explaining it over and over and answer a bunch of annoying questions. My only advice would be to set more defined boundaries. Such as spend a week working on your projects and then one day devoted to socializing and give yourself permission to focus on other people rather than your own projects. And good luck with your books and Youtube channel.

[EmilyPineda36]

It's a normal fear but in order for your business to thrive...you got to open up. Shyness is not natural as much as we WISH it was...think, back then when cavemen and primal beings were around...you HAD to communicate to survive...so use this knowledge and kick shyness's ass every single day