Is it okay to feel lonely even when I'm dating someone casually?

Absolutely. Loneliness and aloneness aren't the same thing, and casual dating doesn't cure either one. Mirabai felt this acutely—she was surrounded by people, yet profoundly alone in her intensity, her questions, her need for something deeper. Casual intimacy can actually sharpen loneliness if what you're really hungry for is recognition. Someone seeing you. Being known. Casual is fine if you're genuinely casual—if your heart isn't waiting for it to become more. But if you're using casual connection to fill a void, you'll keep feeling empty after, because the emptiness wasn't about sex or companionship. It was about a disconnection from yourself. Here's what to examine: Are you lonely because you want deeper partnership? Or are you lonely because you haven't built a real life—friendships, purpose, solitude that feels chosen rather than imposed? Those require different answers. Mirabai's grief was real, but it made her alive. Your loneliness is telling you something. Listen to it. It might be asking for partnership, or it might be asking you to come home to yourself first.