>>1 I don't see anything wrong with you at all. You are having a natural response to everything that's happening.
I know for a fact that I too overthink everything that's happened during the day and can't help but think about how stupid some of the things I did were or how embarrassing I am. Some people value their personal space more than a others and are more comfortable around others both physically and relationship-wise. Being afraid of being hurt by new people is not a silly reaction, and needing personal space is never something to be embarrassed about. It's entirely natural. It's just the ways we cope with these reactions that differ.
Before you begin to react to whatever is happening, simply take note of your breathing and concentrate on it. Take long deep breathes in through your nose and then slowly let it out through your mouth. While doing this, do your best to concentrate only on breathing in and out for a moment or two, then continue with whatever it is you were doing all while still being aware of your breathe. You've probably heard of this before, but here's the magic behind it. When you are anxious, your mind starts to think about everything and anything, right? So if you give your mind the sole task of concentrating on your breathe then it will only be able to think of the breathing. This is actually a form of meditation that can be done anywhere at anytime while doing anything. It might not feel like it does anything at first, but the more you practice it, even if it's just 5 or 10 minutes a day, then you'll find yourself being able to cope with those anxious feelings a little better. Another method is to do the exact same thing but concentrate on the sounds around you instead. It's a good idea to switch between the two methods when one begins to feel like it's becoming less effective.
But then, that's just what i do! I honestly hope that those methods help to calm you down, it takes a little practice but once you get the hang of it then it becomes second nature.
As for your family, I dont know how your relationship with your family is, and I won't make you tell me unless you want to go into it, but in my eyes the best solution is to tell them you arnt solely looking for attention and that you just need their support. I feel like you do need attention from them in some form, but that attention needs to come in the form of them taking you seriously. So ask them this (only if you are intent on showing them you arnt attention seeking): if you were doing it for attention, then how come you avoid people so much? Surely if you were in it for the attention then you would be surrounding yourself with people and not the opposite?
And as for the mirror... You don't need to avoid it. You are you. You are special. You are unique. Only you can see yourself looking back at you when you look in that mirror, noone else. You may not feel special, you may not even like who you are, but that's why you've come here isnt it? Learning to love yourself is something nobody can do alone, hell, it took me years to even gain a slight sense of self esteem! But you have us now, you're a Dollar, and that means you arnt alone. I have no idea if that part about learning to love yourself is the case with you, but if it is then I meant every word.
If your family won't talk to you seriously about your problems, then you really have come to the right place. We're all Dollars here, we're all family. I hope that everything I've said is of some help, if you have anything else to get off your chest then please don't hesitate. I and the rest of us will be here. I hope you are okay and that you can feel better soon!
