The Internet

I always have spent a lot of time in my bedroom. Mostly this is because i like my own space and because i can do my own thing, watch what i want on tv etc but then i got myself a computer and i found a new way to occupy myself.

I could spend hours on the internet. Surfing websites or chatting and i found it was something i really enjoyed. I also joined a few sites like Faceparty and Myspace and suddenly i was back in touch with people i hadn't been able to see in a while.

There are a lot of people who are sceptical about meeting people online and even more sceptical about meeting those people in person, but thats what i done. I continued to have a social life all be it from the comfort of my own home but i have to say agoraphobia has never affected my ability to pull. I was able to get boyfriends without leaving the house. This amazed many people. None more so than me! I met a boy and we started a relationship. He knew all about me problems and seemed to accept them. We only lasted 8 months but once again i can say with my hand on my heart that agoraphobia was not the cause of our break up. I still think it is a good way to meet people. I always say you could meet someone in a club where the music is loud and you can't hear each other talk, but online you can spend hours talking and getting to know each other. Usually you will cover so much more talking online and discuss things that wouldn't be discussed in person for a long time.

So the internet provided me a social life in some ways, online and offline. My parents worried that it was unhealthy. That by having this new life from my own bedroom i would lose the need to leave the house at all. I would argue that this certainly isn't the case. Yes i could spend hours talking and having fun, but when the weekends came my online buddies would disappear. They were off out living their lives. They were going to the cinema, going for meals, going clubbing etc. Then they'd come home and i would hear about all the fun they had. So if anything it made me MORE determind to get out because i could see what i was missing.

I wanted to include this part about the internet because it has been the source of many a debate in my house. I just wanted to show that it isn't ALWAYS unhealthy. There have been times when i have been very low and i have opened up to someone online about whats on my mind. I have discussed things that i hadn't talked to anyone else about and came offline feeling refreshed and happier. So like i said before i am very VERY glad that i discovered the internet!