We need to embrace the self and at the same time retreat from the self.
When you become aware of what you truly are, you can no longer ignore or tolerate inside of you what you know you are not, and so this paradox must be face head on, every day, every moment, for the rest of our lives.
It becomes clearer when we understand that there is a self, and there is the Self. A self is a false concept of individuality, separation  and differences. It sees only what is outside itself, never able to look within.
The Self is the Brahma, the Eternal Life that lives within each and every one of us, that lives inside every rock, flower, tree, cloud, animal,  inside every speck of invisible dust. The Self is Love; the Self is God. The Self is always present while a self is rarely if ever present. You are not your self - you are the Self.
Many people in our society think that focusing on yourself is the epitome of selfishness, while at the same time they are completely focused on their false selves almost every moment of the day. This is because they are confused, they don't understand that there is a deeper Self inside of us, something that is always there but is not seen because of our beliefs. They see God as something outside of themselves, yet every moment it is as if they are waiting for Him to come down out of the heavens and place a magical jewel inside of their hearts.
What they fail to realize is that that magical jewel is already inside of them, that God placed it there long ago, when nothing was, when everything was. The Vampire inside of our minds, our false selves, wants us to remain in the belief that we are not complete, that we are not perfect and whole. Because it desires to badly to be loved, it does not love itself.  But the beauty is that all of this exists solely in the mind, that it is not real and it never was and never will be. It was simply a dream.
When you realize you are in a dream, and you realize you aren't enjoying the dream as much as you thought you were, you can wake up from the dream. This doesn't mean you aren't dreaming anymore. It just means you are dreaming a different dream.
Many people become paranoid when they realize they are living in a world of illusion. They become frightened and worried that something is controlling their minds.
The Vampire loves this, it feeds off of these feelings, and only when you stop giving it control will it stop controlling you.
You are Infinite Eternal Presence. You do not need anything or anyone. You don't need that comfort, that familiarity, that false concept of love. You are Love.
Illusion is beautiful; it simply is whatever you are dreaming. This society will have you believing that it is evil, that it is bad. But it is neither bad nor good. It just is. It simply is not true, and that is all there is to it. If you remember that what is true is that you are Life, Love, and Light, if you really remember, nothing can touch you or hurt you ever again. And your eyes will see clearly, beyond the illusion. The illusion is simply there to challenge us, because we have free will. Nothing is definite in this universe, not even the Infinite and Eternal. Everything is constantly changing, and that is why it is so important for us to let go of our beliefs. Our beliefs about ourselves, about other people, about everything. They aren't true.

One of my biggest weaknesses is being afraid to admit that I have weaknesses, although at the same time I'm remarkably transparent, to those who can See. I'm learning to sit with my Self and let myself Be - to let everything be exactly as it is, all of my pain, my thoughts, my ideas, and just let them go. It sounds so simple but it takes lifetimes to attain. May Peace, Vision, and Understanding be with you always.