How can I feel less lonely even when my partner is in the room with me?

This is one of the most honest questions someone can ask, and Mirabai would recognize it immediately. She loved so fiercely, and yet she knew loneliness—the kind that happens not because someone's absent, but because they're not *meeting* you. Loneliness in a relationship usually means disconnection. You're in the same space but not actually seen. The first thing is to stop blaming yourself or them, and instead get curious: What would it feel like to be truly met right now? Not fixed or changed—just witnessed. Then risk something small. Share something real that you normally wouldn't. Not a complaint—an actual interior moment. "I felt scared today" or "I'm not sure what I want anymore." See if your partner can just listen without trying to solve it. Sometimes loneliness lifts not when things change, but when someone says, "I see you in this." You might also need to look at the small, daily things: Do you eat together without screens? Do you touch? Do you ask each other real questions? Loneliness often means the rituals of real connection have eroded. But also—this might be a sign that something deeper needs shifting. Loneliness that persists despite your efforts to bridge it is worth examining honestly. Sometimes it's telling you something true about the relationship itself.