The reclusive fitness guru posted an uplifting message on his Facebook page Tuesday, saying ... "For as long as I can remember, people have made fun of me. And people still to this day make fun of me. But you know what? I am glad to be me! And you should be glad that you are you."

Richard says music helps boost his confidence and ignore the naysayers ... and he's recommending three songs from back in the day. Seems Richard is a big Gloria Gaynor fan ... because he says two songs he often listens to are her classic hits "I Will Survive" and "I Am What I Am."

Another tune Richard recommends comes from the soundtrack for "The Greatest Showman" ... with the full cast singing, "This Is Me."

Richard's always been about helping people, and it got to the point back in the day where he basically could not turn anyone down. That seems to be what he's alluding to in these recent posts of his.

RS ultimately disappeared from the spotlight and has been laying low for years, but his recent FB activity seems to be a sign he's getting closer to being back in the public eye.

Richard's been way more active on FB recently, which lines up with Pauly Shore portraying him in a new short film, "The Court Jester," and developing an upcoming biopic ... which Richard may finally be coming around on.

Before Pauly's projects, Richard only had one FB post in all of 2023 ... and he didn't post a lot in 2022 either until our TMZ documentary on his life and his disappearance.

Richard's still got a lot of fans out there ... and while it might feel like we might be hearing (or even seeing) more from him going forward -- we've learned that's not the case. A source directly connected to Richard tells TMZ ... "after all the Pauly news, Richard wanted his fans to know he's doing well and that he appreciates their support."