There is nothing ‘lame’ or ‘stupid’ in listening to your instincts when they are well-justified. People are scary things that require a certain level of energy to cope around, and family (parents in particular) ironically tends to be moreso, not less. The rule I tend to use when I do similar such things is to promise myself that, instead of being social, I will do other things to look after myself and improve matters.

You might want to try once you’re feeling a little more confident inviting them over, perhaps to watch something short, and have some sort of plan to limit the length of the visit. Get used to the company again in a safer feeling environment, and let them get comfortable with your difficulties in interacting.

I keep reminding myself in such things that as long as I’m looking after myself and working however slightly towards improvement, then everything is good and fine. The hardest thing is simply stay calm and not panicked and overwhelmed, and to remember that you will get everything sorted out and functioning better again.

The prayer in schools thing is an odd one indeed. I have to say, I am amused by those who suggest it would be a non-denominational act of quiet contemplation. In my experience, these things quickly become the Lord’s Prayer or something similar. At the least, a leaning towards a faith to indoctrinate is hard to avoid, and quickly this causes conflict within the community. Children are often too young to understand spiritual matters, they would just see someone of a different faith as more a target.