Ever made up someone to stop you being lonely?
 

Heya just wondering

Has anyone made up someone to stop them feeling lonely?

I used to be me... then some days I'll pretend to be a girl called "emma" I could get into her personality/her life/her problems as if I was her...

I did some stupid **** when I spoke and pretended to be emma to people.

It was me at the computer screan but I used to be a girl called emma and swap her personality for mine. This faded away about 2 years ago ish now totally... But sometimes still think about her...

her life

-Adoption
-Had a kid Kelsea or kelly-lil
-From liverpool
-Cheated on boys
-Was abused.

Did anyone else do this or does anyone still do this?? I'm trying to work out why I actually did this...

*hugs*

I don't need to say anything here because we talked about it already, so I'll just send you hugs.

ily xoxox

Without meaning this in the negative sense, it sounds like attention-seeking to me.(Let me make clear needing attention is not neccessarily a bad thing, we all need attention,sympathy and caring etc. from people).

Would you say Emma's problem was worse than your own? Perhaps you thought creating this alternative character would get you more support than if you were yourself with your own problems.

Also remember creating fantasies and alternate realities really isn't that uncommon, lots of people do it to escape from everyday life, to occupy their mind, all sorts of reasons.

I really wouldn't worry about it, it doesn't sound unhealthy to me, just that maybe you were feeling a bit neglected and lonely.

I've made up someone not to feel alone but more to talk to than anything.
As long as it doesn't take over your life I don't think it is unhealthy.

I feel sad that you felt so lonely that you had to make someone up. I feel sad also that the person you made up had to suffer so much.

The content of Emma's personality is interesting. Sometimes I think people make up other people to "take on" so they can try other ways of acting and behaving but can separate themselves from it, so it feels less scary and threatening. For example, if someone was really shy in their own selves, they might make up someone to "become" who has quite an "out-of-control" personality so they could more comfortably behave assertively, or perhaps even aggressively if they felt strongly inside.

To a degree, I identify. I have a number of inside people. I didn't make them up consciously, and I do believe that they are real. However, I can't deny that some of their experiences or personality traits have some meaning in my own past and self. Sometimes I almost "invoke" these people voluntarily because the stressors in my life are too much for my own personality to deal with without crumbling. I'm not explaining very well.

It's good that you've found a way to cope in your life without having to turn to Emma so much.

It used to control my life but don't anymore.

This happened possibly at ages of 13-16 I used to act as if she was real and all that stuff. School people found out I was a liar about this at the end of being 14.

I dunno why I really did this possibly I could be someone else for a bit kinda thing... Switch off from my own problems and just be her...

I used to call emma my cousin (I do have a cousin called emma in real life)

lol i was such a warped up teenager.

Maybe for escapeism or to get help and sympathy?

Like you know if people dont take you seriously, you pretend to be someone else with other/bigger problems so that they will pay you attention and try to help. Only you can really work out why you did it, but honeslty i think alot of people do it, especially online. People can be anyone they want to be and some people love that illusion that online they can be all the things they are too scared to be in real life, and pretend to just be a normal person, you know.

i hope that comes across right lol

I've invented loads of character over the years - I think it's from playing 'make believe' as a child and I never really grew out of it, as sort of escapism. But I can just keep it for when I'm on my own, so it has always been controllable. I also like to write stories - I see this as sort of acting out stories instead of writing them down. But it would be a problem if its not controllable or you get mixed up with what you've invented and what you haven't...

I can't see how it would help switch off from your problems by pretending you had been through such things as being abused.
I agree with Heidi about the attention seeking thing. You might've thought people were more likely to want to talk to and support you if the problems you had were more severe.
Other reasons you might've wanted to pretend to be someone else is because you weren't happy with who you were.
I don't know if this is a MH problem though tbh.

^^ the OP wasnt suggestiong it was a mental health problem, but maybe found it eaiser to place the post in here.

Fair enough. :)

Thanks all :)

When I was a teenager I made up a whole village, with a boarding dance school that I was a member of. I had friends there. I created a whole file with maps and pictures and everything. Noone knew about this alternate reality, although my mum was concerned I was doing this, but she never acted on that concern in a way that was helpful to me.
This is kind of an opposite scenario to the one you describe, in that everyone in this alternate reality was functional and friendly - as opposed to my real reality.

Yes I have done this well still do but only in my head. Its quite different actually. When I'm in bed trying to get to sleep I pretend I'm someone else and my lifes different. I'm not sure why I do it "/