Loneliness is a particularly troublesome emotion because it tends to evoke a strong aversion to the present moment. The approach to overcoming this challenging condition is virtually the same approach that we must apply to any arisen phenomena. We must attempt to see it for what it really is instead of allowing it to dictate our actions and define our character.
The feeling of being alone has very little to do with the reality of the situation. We can feel very alone in a crowded room full of people, in fact many people would feel more lonely in that circumstance if they had yet to meet anyone then they would at home by themselves for a whole weekend. The feeling of being alone has less to do with who is around us and more to do with how we are responding to some other aspect of the present moment.
If we’re not in a room full of people we don’t know, it could be something else that triggers this feeling such as a difficult memory or fear of some future occurrence. The feeling of being alone that we don’t like is just an effect that has arisen as a result of some precursor condition and neither condition requires that we identify with it. We can overcome all kinds of conditions simply be recognizing that, when we are trained in bringing the mind into the present moment, we don’t have to allow our emotions to define us. Instead we can choose to be defined by our ability to be mindfully aware and satisfied one moment after the next.