Effects of Long Periods of Solitude

smirks wrote:

IntellectualCat wrote:

smirks wrote:There is a bit of a social culture that you lose out on by going for long periods of time in isolation and you will notice a little bit of a difficulty either keeping up with conversation or caring about the thrust, often, of conversation. When human beings get together often, they invent sort of a social culture, and when you do not participate, as many schizoids don't, you become quite divorced from that social culture often replacing it with your own asocial culture, inventions from your own head, which are shared with no one, but evolved to the point where introducing anyone to your culture of one is almost painful.

I don't know if that's along the lines of what you were asking for, but this is what I notice most, as opposed to a more emotional reaction.

I think that even if I do socialize, I feel divorced from the social culture. I feel like I am still in touch with my asocial culture, but at the same time, I feel afraid that people will impose their social culture on me by force. Also, I find that when I try to share my views, people tend to weirded out by them or have a hard time understanding them. While it doesn't affect how I feel about myself (except for confirming to me that I am different from other people), it still makes it feel painful to interact.

That said, being alone for a long period of time still does affect me. While I haven't ever gone a full 24 hours alone (it isn't really possible for me to that at this time), I have gone many days in a row being alone for a huge chunk of each day. The only effect, really, is that I become more creative, though as I have become more in touch with my differences, that effect has become less pronounced.

I feel a bit the same way. Part of what is so rewarding for social people is having aspects of themselves mirrored in their interactions. I think it's rewarding, and I know that there are people with personalities that allow them to absorb and mirror aspects of others, and they fit in wonderfully, but must have a very fluid concept of self. I understand that I have a very rigid concept of self -- not that I am not willing to grow and change, just that I'm not willing to do it for the sake of fitting in within a social group. I grow and develop to please myself. And this does make things difficult. It does strain relationships, and in general it makes relating with people very unsatisfying for all involved.

However, I have gone days without interacting with another person, and I think it's more of a relief than anything. I am already self-determined, so I don't miss the feedback from people. I do enjoy solitude and being alone with my own thoughts because there is harmony in it, even if it's just a harmony of one. I feel no pressure to take into account thoughts and opinions that have no value for me, to constantly validate or entertain others.

I used to believe I had to be a very fluid open person because of many of my rejections of what is considered 'normal conventions' but then after time passed I realized how truly rigid I am . About everything.

I mean I do allow a lot more doubt in all of my ideas than most people,but that's almost it's own type of rigidity- never being allowed to make a very definite opinion without constantly casting doubt on it...

But anyway, I am very rigid when it comes to how I live my life, who I can interact with when and where, what I will allow myself to like and enjoy...it kind of goes on and on.

It's almost like I approach an interest as if it were a relationship. It's kind of bizzare but it's very very difficult for me to try to like anything new. I want to reject it right off the bat.

For example, I have only watched about 5 anime in my life time. 5- because I start them, get 5 -b 10 episodes in and completely abandon. I'm only truly dedicated to one. One.

Music- I primarily like what I used to like and I will get a new song if I happen to like it and enjoy it but I rarely go out of my way to try and find a new one.

Movies- don't watch them unless I feel 100 percent certain I will like them. Usually this means I don't watch new movies. Actually no I don't watch movies. I have probably only seen maybe 3 of them in the past 2 years.

Reading - I have been unable to read anything for a long time. I get so far in then abandon. It has to capture me instantly or I'm done. I am reluctant to read anything outside of what I already know I like..

Dang X-X I think I just take everything in my life very very seriously, have trouble letting go of what I attach to , and have trouble letting something new in . I think there's too much of this air of doubt and possible boredom that I can't bring myself to try.

This is a very frustrating aspect of my life- the limited range of interests. I kind of like just doing what I like and know,but on the other hand it would be nice to widen my range of passions. It just kind of sucks to not be able to do anything ANYTHING new and actually enjoy it without feeling an intense sense of hesitation.

-- Fri Jun 12, 2015 11:47 pm --

I just realized my interests were like a relationship to me X-X...and even they are limited and stifled.

I think it's hard for me to process caring for too much at one time. I tend to obsess over interests and so as not to overwhelm myself I limit extremely.

I don't have schizoid or schizotypal
Once I didn't leave a house for several months (4?), except to see my psychiatrist biweekly. I didn't notice this was the case until one day when i left. It wasn't even my house. I was alone in the house probably 50% of the time. It didn't even cross my mind to go outside. I didn't message people online. I didn't feel the want to contact anyone.

When I did finally leave the house I was extremely paranoid. Other people frightened me. Thought everyone was staring at me, talking about me, reading my thoughts, scrutinizing me. I saw friends faces in strangers faces. I somehow forgot like... humans- they are so strange when taken out of context. If I did talk to people I felt disconnected. Looking back I would talk to myself a lot... like both sides of the conversation. I would spend a great deal of time daydreaming of having conversations with people. I was under the notion that I didn't need to actually talk to people, because I could conjure up an equally likely and realistic conversation, even going so far to belive that I knew what so and so would say therefore why should I talk to them?

I just didn't want to see anyone. Still, don't really think I do. I've just been forcing myself because I don't want it to get that bad again. Plus I genuinely do like humans.

I think its pretty easy to get delusional when in solitude for extended periods of time. Also, its addicting.

@JPKAS I like your dp!

What does dp mean? dp?

Sounds like you were definitely delusional . It sounds very much like paranoia.

i do wonder if having zero contact whatsoever would make me go insane. I mean even if I don't deeply interact, I do interact.

Maybe even the most solitary individual would completely go utterly insane and lose contact.

I think it's better if you don't get that bad so good for you ! lol

Dp= display picture ... I don't know the terminology that this forum uses, care to enlighten me?

Yeah, even the most solitary person would go insane in solitude. I think it would just be a matter of time; it would take longer. Above all, humans are social beings.

'Humans are social beings' so they tell me ;p hehe. Nah I understand- 'no man is an island'/ As much as that sucks .

I honestly don't know the terminology. only been here a week lol.

the_ambivalence wrote:Yeah, even the most solitary person would go insane in solitude. I think it would just be a matter of time; it would take longer. Above all, humans are social beings.

Insanity is relative like everything else. What one person sees as insane, another person might see as completely normal.

That said, I can't imagine it would be healthy for anyone to be in complete and utter isolation for an extended period of time, and I can't imagine they would be mentally stable if they did. But at the same time, one can be perfectly comfortable alone and be very resilient to the needs of having someone else nearby.

I've always wondered, for instance, how long term solitude would truly effect me, in the sense of no social contact whatsoever, even from the internet or browsing what other people have written without responding. I think I am very resilient to the needs of socializing, but I don't think I am immune to it.

To elaborate even further, I believe that almost everything that we are, we are because of outside influences from other people. The way we think, the way we act, even the things we like. I've always wanted to be as free of it as I can, and simply create my own unique perception of the universe as opposed to building off of what others have shared. Unfortunately, I don't think it's really possible...

the_ambivalence wrote:Dp= display picture ... I don't know the terminology that this forum uses, care to enlighten me?

I don't know what others prefer to call them, but I have always just called them 'avatars'.

yeah Koopa, even if you were isolated- you'd never be able to make a view point of the universe independent of external stimuli.

We discussed this is my aesthetics class- Even if someone was completely put into a vacuum, the vacuum itself would help determine their entire being.

People are shaped too much by genetics and external input from people to ever truly be free of it....Half the time I think who we are is entirely out of our control in all reality ;p.

Yeah, it does things to ya. My quirks look more schizotypal than schizoid, and I've never been completely isolated (interacted some with family), but I think smirks summed it up pretty well. You just feel really rusty and distant around most people (didn't seem to have any problems with people I really liked though).

Now, it could have been because I managed to keep some sense of direction, and went outside into nature a lot, but my isolated period did have an upside. It really stripped away a lot of the ideas and concerns society had tried training into me. Maybe it's a mixed bag because it makes it even harder to relate to most people, but the prize is that my soul feels much freer.

JPKAS wrote:yeah Koopa, even if you were isolated- you'd never be able to make a view point of the universe independent of external stimuli.

We discussed this is my aesthetics class- Even if someone was completely put into a vacuum, the vacuum itself would help determine their entire being.

People are shaped too much by genetics and external input from people to ever truly be free of it....Half the time I think who we are is entirely out of our control in all reality ;p.

This is why I don't believe in free will. It's not like I have ever felt like I had free will anyway.

muaddib wrote:Yeah, it does things to ya. My quirks look more schizotypal than schizoid, and I've never been completely isolated (interacted some with family), but I think smirks summed it up pretty well. You just feel really rusty and distant around most people (didn't seem to have any problems with people I really liked though).

Now, it could have been because I managed to keep some sense of direction, and went outside into nature a lot, but my isolated period did have an upside. It really stripped away a lot of the ideas and concerns society had tried training into me. Maybe it's a mixed bag because it makes it even harder to relate to most people, but the prize is that my soul feels much freer.

I think that a sense of direction is needed to enjoy solitude. One time when I was isolated for a big chunk of the day, I didn't really enjoy it because what I was doing felt aimless. While I had depression at the time, I don't think the isolation did that because I already was losing interest in things I used to enjoy.

Being in nature also helps. When I go out in nature alone, I feel connected to my surroundings, and sometimes it even feels spiritual. It is much better than feeling like you are at risk of being influenced subconsciously by other people who are closed-minded and want other people to believe the same things they believe.

Recently, I spent quite a bit of alone time, and I felt like the ideas and concerns people were training into me were stripped away. I guess I didn't really notice that ideas were being pushed on me when I was around people since I still had my unusual ideas, but I think certain people around me were expressing negative beliefs about the world that exacerbated my depression.