The Confession Booth: Post something very personal about yourself

[old timey villain]

I have obsessive compulsive disorder, diagnosed and everything. Most people don't realize it because I'm good with people and have no trouble in social situations, so nobody pegs me as somebody with those kinds of issues.

The problems come at night before I have to go to bed. The obsession is the fear that I will die in my sleep. The compulsions are the crazy things I do before I go to bed to feel "protected." I check my door several times to make sure it's totally locked. Sometimes I check the windows as well. When I leave my apartment I always check the stove and burners to make sure they're turned off like 5 times at least. I have a bunch of cleaning products underneath my sink and I'm terrified that they'll all fall over in the middle of the night, spill all over the floor and create toxic fumes that will suffocate me in my sleep. I'm dead serious, that was my biggest fear for a long time. Finally, a few nights ago, after checking the cabinet for the 6th time, making sure nothing had fallen over, I got so mad that I put all the crap in a box and shoved it in my car so I didn't have to deal with it anymore.

So anyway, living the dream.

[Antonio the Sixth]

The key question then becomes (at least for me): how do you know when your feelings make you ready for a relationship that goes beyond friendship? And I'm talking about myself here. When do I know that I have feelings for someone? This is the part that has troubled me the most.

Difficult say, because we are not you. Myself, often time I know when I meet a girl that she is someone I could see myself with, and other times I know that she isn't someone I could see myself with. Generally, not to sound clique, but you will know when you meet someone who you actually want to date. I always trust my instinct. That isn't something you can really teach though.

That's what everybody's been telling me. And yeah, of course It's certainly true. Then the question becomes whether I am so picky that I haven't found anybody in 20 years of life, or whether I actually have but I'm just bad at interpreting my own feelings. I naturally err on the side of caution for this kind of things, so the latter seems plausible.

[Fmr. Pres. Duke]

The key question then becomes (at least for me): how do you know when your feelings make you ready for a relationship that goes beyond friendship? And I'm talking about myself here. When do I know that I have feelings for someone? This is the part that has troubled me the most.

Difficult say, because we are not you. Myself, often time I know when I meet a girl that she is someone I could see myself with, and other times I know that she isn't someone I could see myself with. Generally, not to sound clique, but you will know when you meet someone who you actually want to date. I always trust my instinct. That isn't something you can really teach though.

That's what everybody's been telling me. And yeah, of course It's certainly true. Then the question becomes whether I am so picky that I haven't found anybody in 20 years of life, or whether I actually have but I'm just bad at interpreting my own feelings. I naturally err on the side of caution for this kind of things, so the latter seems plausible.

Obviously the biggest fear we all have is being rejected, but it happens to all of us, we learn, move on and are better people for it. I imagine you may have met someone you actually liked, but were too afraid to go for it and just settled for friends, but maybe not, I don't know.

The love game is a stressful one, but it gets easier after that first time, and it always burns when you lose a person that means a lot to you. Don't rush it though. Eventually you will find someone since you're a good guy. Just don't over think things, trust your instinct. That is my best advice.

[Antonio the Sixth]

The key question then becomes (at least for me): how do you know when your feelings make you ready for a relationship that goes beyond friendship? And I'm talking about myself here. When do I know that I have feelings for someone? This is the part that has troubled me the most.

Difficult say, because we are not you. Myself, often time I know when I meet a girl that she is someone I could see myself with, and other times I know that she isn't someone I could see myself with. Generally, not to sound clique, but you will know when you meet someone who you actually want to date. I always trust my instinct. That isn't something you can really teach though.

That's what everybody's been telling me. And yeah, of course It's certainly true. Then the question becomes whether I am so picky that I haven't found anybody in 20 years of life, or whether I actually have but I'm just bad at interpreting my own feelings. I naturally err on the side of caution for this kind of things, so the latter seems plausible.

Obviously the biggest fear we all have is being rejected, but it happens to all of us, we learn, move on and are better people for it. I imagine you may have met someone you actually liked, but were too afraid to go for it and just settled for friends, but maybe not, I don't know.

The love game is a stressful one, but it gets easier after that first time, and it always burns when you lose a person that means a lot to you. Don't rush it though. Eventually you will find someone since you're a good guy. Just don't over think things, trust your instinct. That is my best advice.

All right, I don't want to get too specific about my private life (the Bushie Syndrome really doesn't tempt me), so I'll put it in vague and generic terms. I am pretty sure that I would indeed be strongly subject to fear of rejection, being in some respects extremely fragile emotionally. However, I can say in all honesty that this so far hasn't played out at the conscious level at least, because I think I'm still one step behind that. What I mean is that I haven't yet really seriously considered even the possibility of bringing up this topic, because there is an even deeper fear I have, which is the fear of starting a relationship only to realize later that my feelings weren't actually as deep as I thought they were. Again, I'm not talking of a concrete episode that happened to me but only about vague thoughts that have crossed my mind. I just would like to be sure I actually have feelings that go beyond a "very very very good friendship" before actually thinking about what to do about it.

Yes, I know, my mind is so messed up.

[old timey villain]

The key question then becomes (at least for me): how do you know when your feelings make you ready for a relationship that goes beyond friendship? And I'm talking about myself here. When do I know that I have feelings for someone? This is the part that has troubled me the most.

Difficult say, because we are not you. Myself, often time I know when I meet a girl that she is someone I could see myself with, and other times I know that she isn't someone I could see myself with. Generally, not to sound clique, but you will know when you meet someone who you actually want to date. I always trust my instinct. That isn't something you can really teach though.

That's what everybody's been telling me. And yeah, of course It's certainly true. Then the question becomes whether I am so picky that I haven't found anybody in 20 years of life, or whether I actually have but I'm just bad at interpreting my own feelings. I naturally err on the side of caution for this kind of things, so the latter seems plausible.

Obviously the biggest fear we all have is being rejected, but it happens to all of us, we learn, move on and are better people for it. I imagine you may have met someone you actually liked, but were too afraid to go for it and just settled for friends, but maybe not, I don't know.

The love game is a stressful one, but it gets easier after that first time, and it always burns when you lose a person that means a lot to you. Don't rush it though. Eventually you will find someone since you're a good guy. Just don't over think things, trust your instinct. That is my best advice.

All right, I don't want to get too specific about my private life (the Bushie Syndrome really doesn't tempt me), so I'll put it in vague and generic terms. I am pretty sure that I would indeed be strongly subject to fear of rejection, being in some respects extremely fragile emotionally. However, I can say in all honesty that this so far hasn't played out at the conscious level at least, because I think I'm still one step behind that. What I mean is that I haven't yet really seriously considered even the possibility of bringing up this topic, because there is an even deeper fear I have, which is the fear of starting a relationship only to realize later that my feelings weren't actually as deep as I thought they were. Again, I'm not talking of a concrete episode that happened to me but only about vague thoughts that have crossed my mind. I just would like to be sure I actually have feelings that go beyond a "very very very good friendship" before actually thinking about what to do about it.

Yes, I know, my mind is so messed up.

I think what you're feeling doesn't just apply to romantic relations but all human interactions in general. We all deal with insecurity and the fear that people will reject us, whether it's in the form of sexual advances, trying to get a date or just starting a friendship. We are always our own biggest critics, so we fear that everyone notices our insecurities as much as we do, but that's not really the case. Everybody is looking for companionship but we're all hoping the other person makes the first move. You just have to have the confidence to know that you're a great person and anybody would be lucky to get to know you. Don't be conceited, but be fully aware of your own self worth. We're constantly surrounded by things that make us feel bad about ourselves. It could be hurtful comments that make you feel terrible about yourself, or a commercial that highlights your own flaws for monetary gain or simply walking around town and looking at people who just seem better than you. It's terrible because it crumbles our own self esteem. You just have to know that YOU are a valid person and love yourself no matter what anybody else says. When you exude that kind of confidence, people notice it. Trust me.

[HoosierPoliticalJunkie]

It's interesting how "Confession Booth" turned into "How to get a Girlfriend". 

My proposition is this:  given that the IQ of those on Atlas is significantly above average, and there is a strong correlation between IQ and future earnings, and that rich people tend to have many people who want to be their spouse, most people on this forum will be in a relationship in 10 years time. 

It may sound shallow, but it is true, at least to some extent. 

[politicus]

It's interesting how "Confession Booth" turned into "How to get a Girlfriend". 

My proposition is this:  given that the IQ of those on Atlas is significantly above average, and there is a strong correlation between IQ and future earnings, and that rich people tend to have many people who want to be their spouse, most people on this forum will be in a relationship in 10 years time. 

It may sound shallow, but it is true, at least to some extent. 

The correlation between IQ and earning power is only relevant if you chose to apply your intelligence to something thats commercially attractive. Plenty of smart people are poor.

Anyway, this thread should go back so its original purpose. So far we only got 3 confessions about something genuinely interesting.

[Antonio the Sixth]

I have revealed more about my most intimate aspects than ever before on this forum. Whether you deem this interesting or not is obviously up to you.

[LeBron]

Admission of still being a virgin is admitting of something very personal?

If you post on Atlas, there's 80% chance you're yet to get laid.

Except the gays, who either seem to be married and/or having regular sex

I'm not going to say that's stereotypical, but not all gays are like that.

Going off of what I just said, I'm still partially a closet gay because I've only revealed it to my sister, brother, and friends. My parents don't know yet. And I'm not the "sex-craving pedophile" that a lot of straights and anti-gays think we all are.

[Bacon King]

No Atlas forum you already know too much about me, I'm probably not telling you any more of my secrets

[H.E. VOLODYMYR ZELENKSYY]

Admission of still being a virgin is admitting of something very personal?

If you post on Atlas, there's 80% chance you're yet to get laid.

Except the gays, who either seem to be married and/or having regular sex

I'm not going to say that's stereotypical, but not all gays are like that.

Going off of what I just said, I'm still partially a closet gay because I've only revealed it to my sister, brother, and friends. My parents don't know yet. And I'm not the "sex-craving pedophile" that a lot of straights and anti-gays think we all are.

A: On Atlas, about 75% of them ar.

B: You? Closeted?

[Torie]

Picking up the harmony here underneath the melody, don't you all already know more about me than you could possibly want to know, and if served up any more, you would just segue from nausea to regurgitation?  Yes, I thought so.

[MASHED POTATOES. VOTE!]

I killed man in Reno just to watch him die.

[Torie]

I killed man in Reno just to watch him die.

Reno is in fact just drab and offensive enough to drive almost anyone who spends much time there to insanity. Stay away!

[Grumpier Than Uncle Joe]

Picking up the harmony here underneath the melody, don't you all already know more about me than you could possibly want to know, and if served up any more, you would just segue from nausea to regurgitation?  Yes, I thought so.

Indeed

[Franzl]

I killed man in Reno just to watch him die.

Reno is in fact just drab and offensive enough to drive almost anyone who spends much time there to insanity. Stay away!

Although it's a good, cheap place to stay to access more interesting attractions.

[homelycooking]

I killed man in Reno just to watch him die.

This line takes on a whole new character when you imagine it delivered in a Polish accent and without the article "a" before "man", as Kalwejt has enabled us to.

[MASHED POTATOES. VOTE!]

I killed man in Reno just to watch him die.

This line takes on a whole new character when you imagine it delivered in a Polish accent and without the article "a" before "man", as Kalwejt has enabled us to.

Articles are for sissies.

[The Mikado]

This thread isn't going anywhere good.

[Antonio the Sixth]

[Mr. Morden]

This thread isn't going anywhere good.

That's two consecutive posts in this thread that were basically just spam.  I think it's time for the thread to be locked.

[Antonio the Sixth]

[Okay, maybe Mike Johnson is a competent parliamentarian.]

A lot of my friendships, particularly with other mentally ill folks, vacillate back and forth between immensely fulfilling and important and positive relationships and nearly unbearable cavalcades of mutual apologies. More so, I mean, than friendship normally does.

[Alcon]

+1 to the rejection of the advice about not having girls as friends.  That's only good advice if you suck at being assertive, chronically go with the path of least resistance, and/or resent it when the relationships you foster end up platonic.  I think all 3 of those are bad things.

Also, I can't imagine anything good coming from these threads unless I was a Google-savvy employer.

[Antonio the Sixth]

+1 to the rejection of the advice about not having girls as friends.  That's only good advice if you suck at being assertive, chronically go with the path of least resistance, and/or resent it when the relationships you foster end up platonic.  I think all 3 of those are bad things.

#1 and #2 refer to me to some extent (I don't like being assertive and will only be so when I feel confident enough with a person and/or if the issue at stake is of critical importance to me), though certainly not #3.