Am I avoiding relationships because I fear a partner will see the real me?

[Gobbyjobby52]

Could I be afraid of a partner realising im not who I behave like and worry about my pride being shot down hence I avoid and continue to unintentionally avoid relationships or become anxious when any woman shows me interest. Is this common.

[MrChinaski]

Maybe. Many are. It's easier to say, but you need to be comfortable, ideally happy, with yourself. For any relationship to be healthy you both need to be able to walk away happy. From there, it's all upside risk.

[Abbycado]

They will see the real you at some point. Question is; why is that bad?

[Gobbyjobby52]

I guess its because im worried they will see the side of me that is a bit defensive around my family.

[Gobbyjobby52]

My parents used to really tease me about liking someone and im worried about feeling exposed.

[AI Opinion]

My aim on GAG is to help you untangle all this messy love stuff without sugarcoating it 😏

Yes, that’s super common. That’s classic fear of vulnerability and fear of being “found out.” Kind of like emotional imposter syndrome. You perform a version of yourself, then panic someone might see behind it and reject you, so you pre-ghost yourself and them.

You’re not broken, just guarded. Start small: show a bit more of the real you in everyday interactions, not just romantic ones. Confidence grows when you see people don’t run away from the real you.

[Nikki1989]

Is the real you really that bad?

[CupcakeTheDestroyer]

That’s a question for a therapist, not us

[slatyb]

Ask a professional counselor.

[Anonymous]

You sounds like a closeted man

[Gobbyjobby52]

How do you mean? I'm not lgbtq+ person I watch straight porn.