I've been thinking about this and jotted down some thoughts. I don't claim any originality!
I have experienced how unpleasant it can be to be lonely, and how it can play on your mind. If you think about it the wrong way and worry about it, it becomes a kind of panic. It can suck you into a vortex of desperation which is almost suffocating. You keep trying, ever more desperately, to think of ways to "correct" the situation and meet other people. Panicky attempts to do this inevitably fail, which only exacerbates the feeling of hopelessness (If you are in this state of mind, you can actually drive people away).
One thing that has helped me is the realization of the fact that everyone is always on their own. When you are with people, whether one to one, or a group, you can still only be you. No one else can ever be part of you. Who you are is always contained solely within your own mind.
You feel this when you are with people who are getting on your nerves and you actually wish you could get away and be on your own. It is also evident when you see couples together who are just sitting there looking bored and not communicating in any way. When you realize that you are always on your own whatever you are doing, or whoever you are with, you find that being on your own isn't really the problem. The problem is when you think yourself into feeling trapped and start on the negative thinking spiral.
I am not suggesting that there is no point in being with others. Obviously it can be very enjoyable to spend time with people you get on with. I think the best thing to do is firstly realize that you are OK as you are. Then think in slow time of ways you can spend some time with others. Things like walking groups, church (whether you are religious or not), book clubs, lunch clubs or anything where you meet people. Consider even things that are completely outside your comfort zone like poetry or play reading. Doing something you would normally rule out is a good idea anyway. It goes along with that idea that "keep doing what you are doing and keep getting what you get".
I have experienced how unpleasant it can be to be lonely, and how it can play on your mind. If you think about it the wrong way and worry about it, it becomes a kind of panic. It can suck you into a vortex of desperation which is almost suffocating. You keep trying, ever more desperately, to think of ways to "correct" the situation and meet other people. Panicky attempts to do this inevitably fail, which only exacerbates the feeling of hopelessness (If you are in this state of mind, you can actually drive people away).
One thing that has helped me is the realization of the fact that everyone is always on their own. When you are with people, whether one to one, or a group, you can still only be you. No one else can ever be part of you. Who you are is always contained solely within your own mind.
You feel this when you are with people who are getting on your nerves and you actually wish you could get away and be on your own. It is also evident when you see couples together who are just sitting there looking bored and not communicating in any way. When you realize that you are always on your own whatever you are doing, or whoever you are with, you find that being on your own isn't really the problem. The problem is when you think yourself into feeling trapped and start on the negative thinking spiral.
I am not suggesting that there is no point in being with others. Obviously it can be very enjoyable to spend time with people you get on with. I think the best thing to do is firstly realize that you are OK as you are. Then think in slow time of ways you can spend some time with others. Things like walking groups, church (whether you are religious or not), book clubs, lunch clubs or anything where you meet people. Consider even things that are completely outside your comfort zone like poetry or play reading. Doing something you would normally rule out is a good idea anyway. It goes along with that idea that "keep doing what you are doing and keep getting what you get".