[hnphillipj]

This is a very selfless way of living, and for that you have my respect. But the chief cause of loneliness for many people is the fear that the person they were waiting for will never come:

There is a fire which burns inside me, but no-one stays 'round long enough to warm themselves.

Knowing this, if you can truly remain steadfast in your positive outlook on life, then you have achieved true strength. Hard to do in an oversocialized world.

[sizzle]

Meditation, mindfulness, and stoicism is my antidote to deriving happiness and self identity from others. This campfire model explains how I've been treating relationships and staving loneliness. Those who don't stay around long enough is expected/anticipated and my baseline value, anything that deviates towards staying around longer gives me energy rather than drains it towards depression/loneliness. Keeping busy with social hobbies helps.

I feel like loneliness is somehow related to the lack of connecting with others on a human level, assuming it isn't caused by lack of certain neurotransmitters where meds will help balance you out.

[toomanybeersies]

But the person you're waiting for may never come. Life isn't some romance movie where you're destined to meet "the one".

I've learned to embrace that and have taken solace in living in the moment with the people around me instead of wondering what else could be out there and what I might be missing out on.