Does anyone else dread having guests at their home because of past experiences?
There’s something that’s been weighing on my mind, and I just wanted to vent and see if I’m the only weird one here, or if anyone else has gone through something similar.
I have close friends whom I genuinely love, but not a single one of them has ever set foot in my house. All our hangouts and meetups are always outside—in the streets, at cafes, etc. When we're out, I can easily hang out with them all day and feel completely fine. But if they ever come over to my place and stay for more than an hour, I feel this intense wave of exhaustion and end up counting down the minutes until they leave.
Over time, reflecting on this, I realized it’s not just me being difficult—it stems from past experiences that really stuck with me and left an impact.
Back when I was younger, a friend was coming over to my place. Just a bit before she arrived, my mom told me, "Tell her not to come!" Of course, I couldn't say that because she was already on her way and almost there. When she arrived, I couldn't speak freely or feel comfortable at all because I shared a room with my older sisters, who were definitely not the easygoing, chill type. I felt so much emotional stress and anxiety that day that it made me hate the very idea of anyone visiting me at home.
Naturally, that wasn't the only incident. There were many other similar situations that built up over time, making my brain constantly associate "home" with stress, embarrassment, and discomfort. Now, my home feels like a off-limits zone that I keep everyone away from. Even if someone does visit, my social battery drains completely, and I just want them to leave so I can breathe again.
Is this normal? Has anyone been through something like this and managed to overcome it?
Posted Sep 25, 2026, 7:36 PM UTC