I have always been a loner. I cherished being alone and referred my own time. But now it suddenly feels like I am drowning in loneliness, my feet can’t find traction and I’m swallowing gulps of dirty water. I hope I don’t drown.

You'll be fine bro. See a therapist if you must. Make a Tinder or Bumble and find some connections (Bumble has a "just friends" mode or something)

@homomorphicanus Had Tinder for months and the only match I got were sex workers. Lol. Currently looking at getting out of the house and going kayaking.

Loneliness is damn hard. Unfortunately it can be the adverse side effect of freedom. I bet the whole covid situation hasn’t made anything easier. But all you can really do is get a grip and start looking for company, whether it be friends or a partner you’re after. Or just even a chat bot like e.g. Replika. (I mention Replika since I’ve heard from a few people that it helped them take the worst sting out of the loneliness they were feeling - so maybe it’s worth a shot?)

@ostream Thank you for the advice.