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Interesting thread, for sure. I've also been wondering about loneliness lately.
To me, boredom is something entirely different than anything else. In general, boredom is it's own entity.
In my mind the three ways of being alone are loneliness, isolation, and solitude.
Loneliness feels sad. It's the feeling of wanting to do something with someone else, or go somewhere and have a nice time, or even wish you had someone to do routine stuff with you, or to be there with you through something frightening or painful. But there's no one there. No one to do anything with. You're alone because there's no other option. Maybe you haven't asked - or maybe you were turned down.
Loneliness feels like a heaviness in my chest, heart, shoulders.
Isolation is more about choice than loneliness is. For me, I'm isolating when I'm invited to do something with a friend or family member, or there's a class I could take, or a group I could go to, but I'm just not feeling it. I feel like I want to be left alone, not bothered, it's just too hard to put myself in the position of going anywhere, doing something away from home, being with people.
If I'm in a really bad place mentally I isolate because I'm afraid of leaving my home. Afraid it will catch fire or someone will break in, or one of my cats will get hurt or sick while I'm away. The anxiety is just too much to bear. Isolation makes me want to roll up in bed and cry...and just be asleep so I don't have to face life.
Solitude, though - solitude is a positive thing. It's a feeling of being friends with myself, maybe doing something creative, being in nature by myself, reading a book I'm enjoying. Solitude is productive and healthy.
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