I've been single for the past 2.5 years, after ending a horrible 2 year relationship. I'm a 22 male.
Being "lonely" and feeling "alone" does suck, I've felt it for a brief time in my life, and I know exactly how you feel. You just have to stick it out, and you will become so much stronger as a person. Going to the gym really gets your mind off of wanting companionship, and focuses your mind on yourself. I don't go to the gym, but I skateboard, and have for the past 11 years, since I was 11 years old. Gotta find coping mechanisms.
I live in a new town and don't have many friend up here, and all of my old friends are back home and it sucks. I guess you could say that I'm alone, and lonely, but I'm honestly not lonely at all.
I enjoy being single and without a girlfriend. I go out to bars/clubs a couple times a month with some coworkers (and we really have a blast), but that's it really. My social interaction outside of work is little to none Yeah, I miss getting laid all the time, but that doesn't really matter. I have learned to value my own company above all else, cause you're never alone man, you always have yourself. You are either your own worst enemy, or your own best friend. I am my own best friend, but I can honestly say I was once my own worst enemy.
Lonely is how you can be. Or, you could choose solitude.
Solitude is an achievement that not many people can achieve. It takes the strongest of people to be perfectly comfortable being alone. It can't be done over night, but with time.. I think it took me somewhere around 6 months after breaking up with my girlfriend that I realized that I was perfectly content with being without a significant other. When you do truly achieve solitude, enjoy every second of it, because it won't last forever. Eventually, love will sneak up on you and smack you in the face when you least expect it.
I swear I used to feel just like you. I just sort of trained myself psychologically over time. I focused on myself for a while, and over time my confidence boosted as well. I'm not timid/shy/ or anxious anymore because I now have the confidence that I need. It's the confidence you acquire when you learn to live life solo.
Since I've been solo for so long, as young as I am, and have learned to enjoy it, my biggest fear now is developing feelings for a girl again lol. Which has been happening lately, and I've been trying to not develop feelings for this person, because now it scares me that I might become dependent on someone elses love again if I enter a relationship. It really does kind of scare me that I might start liking someone on more than a friendship level, it's really something I don't want to happen because I've become so comfortable being alone with myself, and so secure and and at peace, that I don't want anything to change. Being single and having a girlfriend are both completely different worlds. Having a girl there to love, and to love you does sound nice, but it doesn't really sound that appealing after you've learned to fly solo.
I really don't want a girlfriend anytime soon right now, because I think that when I care that deeply about a girl, I become completely vulnerable. It's like diving into a black pool and hoping it's deep enough not to break your neck. It could end horribly, and relationships can really mess with your mind if you really fall for the wrong person. Just the chance of being fucked over again makes me realize that I honestly don't need that in my life right now. I'm enjoying my time of solitude. I won't go looking for someone.. but if a girl does come out of nowhere and she seems well worth the trouble of giving up my solitude for, I'll have to decide whether or not to jump or not.. and I will make my decision in a carefully calculated way, because if I'm going to give this girl my all and completely open up, she better be well worth it. I'm not going to just let anyone have the ability to completely destroy me. Until that decision has to be made, I think that my own company is enough.
I guess you could say I'm in a polar opposite state as you are now, but I'm only this way now because I used to be in your exact position, and I stuck it out. I know you greatly desire companionship right now, but take my advice, don't take the first girl that opens her arms to you. I've seen people that are really lonely deep down, that just jump from relationship to relationship, picking shitty partners because they are afraid to be alone. I see weakness in that. Learn to live life alone and the quality of your next partner will be so high, because you will accept the love that you think you deserve, instead of blindly picking a partner out of an act of desperation to run from your loneliness.
She will come one day, until then, be comfortable being alone.