It's not the loneliness what hurts but inner void, and trust me
@AL890, that's is the worst.
I've thought about this for many years now and I have come to the same conclusion wichat. Loneliness I think, is a state that we ourselves create, due to the lack of direction in our lives. Or maybe the feeling of "going the wrong way".
Like Tjerra said, there's a difference between enjoying some time alone, and being lonely. Feeling lonely can be very tricky and weird. You can have many acquaintances or even friends, and talk to them every day, and still feel lonely.
I think that normally around the age of 20, people start thinking about who they are, and who they want to be. Most people are able to figure it out quickly. They are able to fit in and be guided by the society that they are a part of. I don't say this as a bad thing. I say it as a thing that just happens. I guess it is natural. Then there's the people who don't fit in. They feel like what they want to be, is not really following "the trends", so to speak. And then there's the people who can't decide as easy. They need more time to figure it out.
I'd say the latter two categories, are the ones more prone to feel lonely. Especially the ones who can't decide. This "inner void", as I understand it. The feeling that, the things that you like, and you think that you should pursue, have very little relation to the things that people you know and are friends with do. You can be social, but not really fit in. You can be a friend for many people, but feel like very few, if any, can be friends to you. I have personally struggled with this for quite some time, and I still do sometimes. These are the thoughts I have when I feel "lonely".
What I've found out though, and has already been said in the previous pages is this. If you can't decide, give yourself some time, but not much. Think on it, do not let it stand there on the side. Either way, you can not figure it all out instantly. You will be doing that along the way. Above all stay true to yourself. Then do what it is that you feel you must do. This will give you a sense of direction so strong, that your inner void won't be there no more. Instead you will have a "not-so-clear" picture of who you are and should be. And that is really something. Makes you so much stronger. Especially if you managed to deal with it completely alone.
I don't know if it's the right way or even the only way, but I feel like there's this one thing that can eventually get you there. And it's a trick of the mind. The belief that you can and will get there. And the knowledge that when you do get there, you will find people that think like you do and feel like you do, people who will give you a sense of meaning. I find this kind of ironic for me, as I am not religious at all. But I guess I am, so to speak. After all, isn't loneliness just a trick of the mind? The feeling that nobody else thinks like you do? That can't be true.