Hey purplephilosopher,
One of life's paradoxes is that you learn more about yourself by
exposing yourself to a variety of people and experiences.
To hide from life is to deny yourself the opportunity to learn how you would react to and handle adversity, fun, challenge etc.
If you cut yourself off you stagnate, become delusional and lose perspective. Courage and resilience are built by living life, not running away. Have a look at
Be True To Yourself if you're afraid of losing yourself.