Why are there aspects of my personality and lifestyle that I don’t want some people to know about? Nothing bad per say, but the tendency seems to be that I have groups of friends with whom I share certain interests and/or activities, and other groups with whom I share different ones. In some instances, I feel uncomfortable about everybody knowing about all of my interests and hobbies, as if they would judge me or see me in a light that I tend to consider as none of their business.

Intellectually I know that their opinions of me shouldn’t matter, but I have encountered situations where I viscerally rejected the idea of revealing all of myself to everyone as it triggered a feeling of fear. Why do I have this fear of intimacy? When I hear you say that your life is an open book, part of me feels envious – not in a bad way – of the state of lightness and grace that you live in.