[gruseom]

I guarantee that you are not the only person on this site agonizing over this.

Humans are hard-wired to be obsessed with other humans. What we think and do is determined by what others think and do to a vastly higher extent than we like to admit. It's probably the dominant factor. But most people who have the belief that we are (or ought to be) autonomous individuals tend to project a picture of independence, giving you the misleading impression that you're the abnormal one.

Here's what I have found to help:

1. Realize you're probably not that different from everybody else.

2. Be nice to the part of you that's worried about what other people think and let it have its place. When you notice it doing its thing, just chuckle and say, "There you go again."

3. Focus on what truly interests you.

4. Get older.

And remember what Hugh Macleod brilliantly said: Never compare your inside with somebody else's outside.