Poll: Sense of self

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Just curious because I have no idea what I'm really "all about". Wondering if others feel the same.

No, I'm just a lost girl in this big confusing world.

Me too, lostgirl1986, me too.

I have good sense of self. In fact it is hard to imagine how it is possible not to have a good sense of self.

By the way, ''sense of self'' and ''fear of death'' goes hand in hand. The notion of "I" is so intrinsic that it is hard to imagine how can "I" disappear altogether. If it wasn't for "sense of self" it wouldn't be nearly as difficult. After all, even if you die, there would still be other people to ''feel'' and ''experience'' the world. Yet, because of sense of self, it seems impossible that "I" won't experience anything any more. In fact imagining everyone else disappear while "I" am still alive is a lot easier than to imagine "me" disappear while everyone else is alive. That is how intrinsic the sense of self is.

But then again as a Christian I don't think "I" will disappear. I think "I" will go to either heaven or hell depending on what I will do with the Gospel message. Bible also says "God placed eternity in the heart of men". So the reason it is difficult to imagine "death" is that God made it difficult to imagine. Now since "sense of self" is what prevents me from imagining death, perhaps God created "sense of self" precisely for that purpose -- so that I would not be able to imagine death and instead believe in heaven/hell, which would ultimately lead me to accept the gospel.

But then again ... Bible also says to "deny yourself". Just an interesting food for thought

As an introspective person, yes very much. My ability to understand the world has to do with first understanding how things relate to me.

For example: I cannot focus on a task that I have no stake in. If something is useless and has no benefit to do its impossible for me to completely do. However if I can find a reason why I should do it (ex: it will make things easy later, it will make someone else happy, my company will save money and time as a result) then I have no problem completing a task

As a result I have to have my strong sense of self in order to function at all.

I definitely know who I am, and I can understand my motivations on the things that I do. It frustrates me to see others not break things down to who they are individually in order to participate fully in groups around me but oh well there isn't much that I can do for them.

Not sure if my answer is relavent, but often when I'm lying in bed I start to not believe that I'm alive. I start thinking, ''oh, I exist!'' and then I start getting panic attacks and thinking that just because I've suddenly become aware of myself, my heart might stop or something.

Then I keep worrying about how I will die. Yes, I do block it out from my mind most of the time, just like everybody has to, but there sometimes comes a time where I stop and think, ''oh my god, I'm alive, so I'm going to die one day. It's inevitible. Unstoppable. It's going to happen.'' Then I worry that no-one will cremate me, and the thought of my sexy body rotting in a grave really makes me dread. Yes, I know I won't know anything about it, but it's still hard to imagine that while you're alive. I want to just be cremated.
Also, I know that if I'm a target for bullies when I'm alive, so will I be a target for bullies when I'm dead? Will some horrible people come along and try to dig me up, only I won't be getting upset this time because I will be oblivious to it? I know I won't know anything about it, but I still don't want it to happen.

Also, I know it's years away and things might change by then, but I worry about dying alone. I worry that I will never marry or grow old with anybody, and I definately won't have any kids because they will be either Autistic or ret*d (I'm not lucky enough to have NT kids and live an expected parenthood like everybody else I know), and my older relatives will be passed on and my younger relatives will be wrapped up in their own lives (I don't even see them now any more), and I might just die alone then be found as a mummified body, like, 5 years later. I don't want that to happen either.

Also (a bit off-topic here) but by the time I get to an elder, I will never be able to retire. They're raising the retirement age now, and I'm only 22 but by the time my generation gets to an elder we would probably have to work 'til we drop, and so we will never get to have any freedom.

It all frightens me. It's so depressing!

Who am I?

I have a good sense of self but everyone else is crazy so I'm screwed

I have a very strong sense of self. I'm a die-hard Kinks Fan who's not influenced by today's popular culture in any way. I have a mind of my own, and I like it that way.

I'm myself, rugby-playing gamer and all.

No, absolutely not. I will give one opinion on something and believe strongly in it one minute, and then change it and feel equally strongly on the other opinion the next minute. I have to keep track of whom I give what opinions sometimes; I also cannot stand to see all of myself in a mirror, because it forces me to become temporarily self-aware. Even writing this feels kind of weird.