Do any of you find that you hide your true self from family and friends and acquaintances know you better ?

Do any of you find that you hide your true self from family and friends and acquaintances know you better than your own family? If so what are the reasons for this apart from where there is actual abuse etc.





I find my family never talks about anything that means anything and as a result nothing is said and because of this we only know each other superficially and rely on friends emotionally.





This is quite sad but I don't see it changing.





Are you/were you in a similar situation and have you ever seen things change for the better and how?

Do any of you find that you hide your true self from family and friends and acquaintances know you better ?
I find myself often hiding the "real me" from those who have known me for significant times periods. Especially family and friends who I have known since high school or longer. For me there are very complicated reasons why I do this, however I am very much aware that I do it.





When I am around these people, I try to be the person I once was, insetad of the person I have become.





I was injured in the military, and this horribly destroyed my self esteem and comfort with myself. Few people from my past are fully aware of how hard it has hit me, due to the fact that I don't want them to know. They knew me as the tough, strong, determinded woman who always spoke her mind. I am now but a shell of that person. However, when I am around them I continue that facade. I have continued to hide via tattoos and other body modifications, so that way they have other things to ask me about, or hassle me about. The last thing I want is my family and long time friends picking apart a very weak and fragile emotional shell.





My conversations with long time friends and family tends to be on the mundane end. How is work? How is such-and-such and their health? Very simple, very to the point! I don't find myself comfortable around them for long periods of time, mostly because I don't want them to catch on to what is really going on with my health, with my life, and with me.





I have been hiding myself for many years, and have begun opening up to outsiders. Those who didn't know me before it all, those who only see the person who stands before them now. Through them I have begun to find that not everyone is judgemental about my disabilities, and the weird things caused by it, seems only I really notice, not outsiders that much.





Through these people I have begun to realize that perhaps I should open up to my family more, and allow them inside my world. I have started with my mother. Our relationship was very strainded for me when I got home, and has continued to be up until recently when I had a complete break-down in front of her. Since then our relationship has been on the rise, it's a slow steady progress, nothing to write home about, but it is improving.





Part of my problem is I put them off for so long, that I became emotionally shallow towards them, and it wasn't until I realized that I was the cause, due to pushing them away and forming and emotional void towards them, that things started to improve. But, I had to want them to improve!