chief,
I don’t want to offend you, but did you ever think maybe you might have some social phobia? … well let me put it this way. I may have the same problem as you, except maybe worse. I also go at odd hours to avoid people, and I hate when strange people talk to me.
If someone walked all the way over an empty gym to stretch right by me I would probably freak out. I also hate when people come up to me at parties. I was at a party friday night at a benefit for a friend’s show that is going to the Edinburgh theatre festival next month. A lot of people I don’t know well knew me (I seem to be rather popular or famous, not for my improv ability though) but anyway whenever someone I don’t know comes up and talks to me I freak out and have to get away as soon as I can. (Well I don’t really act freaky I can control that, just inside I am freaking out). This obviously gets in the way of things like dating… etc.
It is some social phobia I should probably be on meds. I used to be on meds for OCD so… I use that as my excuse for being kinda a freak. Anyway, I just wondered if you ever considered your own behavior as not being very healthy, since if you are going out of your way to go to the gym at odd hours, not because it’s too crowded to use the equipment, but rather to avoid contact with people, that does not seem to be a very healthy attitude. I said all that stuff about me so you know I’m not judging you but just so you know where I am coming from.
)