Am I just an introvert or am I Depressed?

I’m a man in my early 30s with a 9-to-5 job that I truly enjoy. I’m married, and we recently welcomed a baby into our family. While I’m happy with my personal and professional life, I’ve been reflecting on my long-standing challenges with friendships.

Throughout my life, I’ve struggled to build close connections. I often felt sidelined, excluded, or even taken advantage of in social circles. Over time, I’ve started to wonder if my own behavior, attitude, or actions played a role in this. I tend to attract people initially, but they gradually drift away. As a result, I’ve never really had close friends to share my feelings with.

I grew up in a culture where open conversations with family, especially about emotions, weren’t the norm. This left me without a strong support system and, over time, I stopped putting effort into making friends. Now, most of my interactions are limited to small talk with coworkers or neighbors, and I’ve rarely pursued deeper connections.

Even in high school, I preferred staying home watching anime or reading over socializing. If given the choice between going out to meet people or relaxing at home, I’d pick staying in about 80% of the time. Today, I still find joy in spending time at home with my family, watching TV, or reading books. On the surface, I feel content, but deep down, I sometimes feel a societal pressure to build friendships because of the belief that we need strong social connections to thrive.

I’m now at a point where I’m questioning whether this is just my introverted nature or if it’s something deeper, like depression, that’s causing me to avoid people. I have a few friends I keep in touch with, but I often ignore their calls until I’m in the mood to talk. Sometimes, even seeing their names pop up on my phone feels overwhelming.

Has anyone else experienced something like this? How do you distinguish between being content with solitude as an introvert and avoiding people due to depression? I’d appreciate any advice or insights you can share.

Thank you!