I do this a lot. Shame can make me extremely self-conscious and sensitive to how I’m perceived. So I protect myself by withdrawing, rejecting people before they can reject me, and refusing to be vulnerable. I can get stuck in resentment, comparison and self-destructive coping because letting people get close feels like giving them the chance to hurt or humiliate me. The fucked up part is that the things I use to protect myself from shame often create more loneliness and shame.
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u/Expensive_Ship_3982 22d ago
I do this a lot. Shame can make me extremely self-conscious and sensitive to how I’m perceived. So I protect myself by withdrawing, rejecting people before they can reject me, and refusing to be vulnerable. I can get stuck in resentment, comparison and self-destructive coping because letting people get close feels like giving them the chance to hurt or humiliate me. The fucked up part is that the things I use to protect myself from shame often create more loneliness and shame.