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?