i'm new here but i just wanted a place where no one knows me.
it's hard to explain but here goes.
i have imaginary friends. kind of.
it's more like i have imaginary people who help me cope with daily life.
except i think i might be in love with one of them and it's scaring me a bit because i know that they are not real but this longing i have for them is and it just really hurts knowing that they're not actually there and that they're just an imaginary coping mechanism for me.
i'm just really confused and maybe this is just a roundabout way of living myself which is weird.

i do have actual friends in real life but i tend to keep to myself a lot more because i just prefer it that way. they're an alright bunch and i might not talk to them much but they make me feel ok. it's just i do this thing where i want to avoid them and not see them even though i like them and have no good reason to dislike them and i feel kinda bad every time we hang out because i know that i'm not the most sociable person and that i should try be a little more open but i just can't understand how most of the time or why. so i spend most of my time alone.

and in this way my 'other friends' have become sort of a problem because i feel like they're becoming a sort of filter or barrier between me and the real world and i just don't know what i should do because i like both my friend groups, real and imaginary, but at the same time i'm hurting because it hurts longing for someone you know doesn't exist.

i know this is just rambling but i needed to get this out.

I understand what you mean and pretty much know how frustrating it can be. I'm not as gutsy as you, the fact that you share this I applaud you. Yeah they're definitely a coping mechanism for us, our 'imaginary' friends. I had these since year 4 and sometimes I feel like I still do. Everytime I thought, 'I know they're not real' i had this sort of ache thinking what am I doing. But I came to the conclusion, despite scientifically them being lifeless, they still helped me through a lot of things and I'd keep them. Because I know as I become more busy as an adult I won't think about them anymore and it's okay.
And to not forget them I'd either write them down like a wonderful story or as a comic of all the interesting adventures we thought up. This lets me breath some bit of life in them and also shows others what amazing characters I had with me.

But you know, I still can't get myself to say they're fake! XD

I do feel for both of you...it would hurt to try forgetting them...Ive had mine too...thing is...psychologically your imaginary friends are a big part of your own mind, so forgetting them is partly impossible...but keeping imaginary friends for long affects your daily life..in social meaning...what I did, I added my friends to myself...one by one I became each of one...now Im who I am...but there is another way to think of the whole situation...in highly spiritual groups, there is one that says "Those of vivid imagination, are those that can create their own dimensions and everything in them, even life"...

>>1 don't worry this is the personal board anything personal can be said here,about imaginary friends i know they aren't real in rl but they still can help you get through tough times,i too have kind of imaginary friends,it is strange they are me, but with diferent personality and they are always with me,imaginary friend are not a bad thing altough most people say it is for some reason,imaginary friends are not a barrier,just think this way,when you are with your rl friends,think about your imaginarys friend are with you,but just on your head.that always help me.i hope i could be of any help

Omg. I have those too!

what you need is a girlfriend

i I can't believe i'm saying this but i'm glad i'm not lone

i wasn't expecting a response but i'm so happy knowing that i'm not alone either. it makes me feel more ok. i definitely get that some of my imaginary friends are like the different sides of me that don't come out (yes, i'm looking at you redman001) and they really do help me cope with daily life and give me advice and just give me company in general.

it's just that they're always there for me and i don't know if i will be able to grow into my own person if they just keep hanging around. like will i become a better person by letting them go and dealing with my own issues by myself or would it be better if i do keep them around and have them with me always.

(also i noticed i wrote 'living' when i meant 'loving'. oops.)

we have exactly the same problem!

I have one imaginary friend, I call him Falcon Reach. Its like my alter ego of right and usually corrects me or gives advice in whatever i do, but i do this entirely in my mind and it kinda helped me in some times. I can't really explain this but im glad im not alone.

>>10
My friends are called Lilyas, Valeane and Sakamoto-kun and my 'other selves' are just called Second, Third and Fourth.

yeah it's a lot crowded sometimes but they really help me a lot and just give me company in general. i'm glad you shared Falcon Reach.
makes me feel less stupid for loving them.

>>6
getting a partner doesn't automatically solve all your problems and it's never a good idea to get together with someone out of sheer loneliness.

ok? no hard feelings or anything.

You can actully see them? Or everytihng is on your head?
I mean... They are bye your side just like real people... And you sometimes think they can touch you and visse versa...

Because Some times people can sense the aura of the dead and..... I know this is really stupid, but i really belive in the paranormal and etc. So if they look like people.... Then my friend sorry to say but..... They are dead.

Have you ever thought of them not being "just imaginary"? I believe in spirits, demons, angels, that sort of thing. I have a few theories but it means you have to be really cautious. Succubi, inccubi demons, they have the potential if your willing, to love to. But do not underestimate them, they are still harmful. Then there are some more, spirits have been reported to actually love the person they are around, before or after death. Keep in mind, this may not be imaginary. Just that they only allow you to see them.

Time for op to be a hipster by getting a tulpa.

>>14 i think it is just imaginary friends

I have the same thing to be honest, don't worry...For me it's a coping strategy to deal with negative emotions or loneliness...I'm not the most social person either and I live in the middle of nowhere basically (thankfully having internet LOL) so I have some specific "friends" that help me cope as well.

Don't worry, it's not a problem, it's simply a way to cope. I've done the same thing since I was about 8ish due to not having friends and being bullied all the time. I have friends now but I still have my "other friends" to help me when I need them, it's just a comfort to even FEEL like someone is there for you. :)

>>16 always that chance of the unknown. Me on the other hand, I know the difference between imaginary, and ghost. So first I have to meet this person, then tell them. If they are willing.

Wow! Now I know that I am not alone. I too have my own. I have someone that I cherish although that person is just an imaginary one. It might hurt knowing that that person isnt real, but I cant just let go. I've been clinging on that person for years and that person has helped me a lot even though he is not real. I am in love in an imaginary person. But that's fine. It doesnt matter to me whether if I cling on an illusion.

it's a good way to understand your own subconscious.

I had imaginary friends.... I think it was mostly because I was alone at that time. Falling in love with an imaginary friend, why not? It may seem strange, stupid and it may be confusing, but the real question is : will YOU ever regret loving him/her ?
If these feelings you hold seem real to you, maybe it IS because they are real.

My imaginary friends....I can't hear their voices anymore. I'm actually crying as I'm writting those lines. I can't hear them, but I know they are still here, with me. My imaginary friends were a representation of my feelings. As such, every time I'm happy, sad, depressed, angry,surpised,... I see them once more, for a brief moment, then they fade away, watching over me.

>>21

http://archiveofourown.org/works/1856572

i think you should read this. it might make you feel better. if you're not into it, that's ok.

Interesting topic...
An imaginary friend huh...
I had one when I was 10 years old, people thought I'm an autism at that time seriously. Since I was little, people always bullied me and that's when this 'imaginary friend' I invented came out.

You see, imaginary friend is a form of our desire for something. They appear in human minds when they're in trouble. Introvert people would most likely to have this symptoms because the find it hard to talk their problems with friends or even family. An imaginary friend is like a barrier between the real world and ourselves, their role are simply to protect us from being hurt by reality.

I have a friend who admit that she has imaginary friends. She has the tendency to write some words on her books then she replied it herself. When I asked her about it she said, "I talk to my sister using this book". At first I thought it was strange for someone whose already 14 years old girl would have an imaginary friend.

But after researching more about it and seeing this thread, it's not even strange to me anymore^^

^ bc it's threads like these why I love this board. Everyone's allowed a peak inside an interesting head. I also just realized that this story sounds similar to Zorli's: http://dollars-bbs.org/personal/res/1356684322.html

Alot of people have the same problem, but what i want is an imaginary friend to help me. Have you told your imaginary friend your thought. Maybe just letting it out with help your mind settle.

Don't worry, having imaginary friends as an adult isn't as strange or uncommon as you think:

Adults Have Imaginary Friends Too

As long as you make sure that you don't focus your entire social life on them, you should do just fine.

Exactly