Being alone and feeling loneliness are separate things and once you can differentiate between the two, you'll live a much freer life. Loneliness is a feeling, an emotional and mental response. Being alone is simply a physical state.
It’s important to distinguish the two. Being alone doesn’t cause loneliness. You can feel lonely whether you’re alone or with others. You can be alone and not feel lonely either.
Think about a time where you're a party, and you know nobody and it's just not your vibe. You're likely to feel deep loneliness despite being in a crowd full of people. On the other hand, there's been times where you felt more connected than ever when being physically alone.
If being alone doesn't cause loneliness, then what does? Well, loneliness is a feeling that comes out of uncertainty, doubt, and most of all a lack of connection. Moments where those feelings arise leads to feelings of loneliness as a response.
We can feel connected to many things - other people is one of the easiest ways to satisfy that need. Sometimes, however, that outlet isn't available. We need to be able to feel connected in other ways. Go back into your self, and try to connect with your inner being once again. Self soothe.
I mentioned this thought to my mom recently, and she brought a time during her PhD where she felt more connected when reading a book from the 1800s. Despite being alone, her draw to this author and what she was writing caused her immense feelings of connection. Separated by time, yet still so connected and in tune with one another.
What beauty!