I used to feel the same way you describe below - I could have written that myself!!
What I am going to suggest my sound a little odd and perhaps is not for everyone. If that is the case I apologise in advance and kindly ask the health educators to comment as I don't want to offer any advice that might be counter productive for others.
Having said that, one thing that helped me immensely to 'feel the love' has been practising loving kindness meditation. You can google it, but basically all you have to do is close your eyes, and start sending loving feelings to people in your life. This is a wonderful exercise, and is done in a structured way: first we send love towards one self, then to a mentor/teacher/parent, then towards a loved one (sibling, close friend, etc.), then to a 'neutral' person (someone we know but who does not causes us any particular feeling, either pleasant or unpleasant - i.e. cashier at the shop you frequent, etc.), and finally to a 'difficult person' (someone you don't get along with perhaps). It can be either by visualising the person in your mind with your eyes closed, and/or by saying loving words to this person as if we were talking to them. Mine goes something like this: 'May you be well, may you be happy, may you be peaceful, may you be joyful, may no harm come to you... may you be blessed... etc.' (this perhaps explains my forum user name 'wellandhappy' :) ) Please note that even that this type of meditation comes from the Buddhist tradition, anyone can benefit from it. Sometimes after I finish I then say a prayer for my dear ones.
The above may sound silly but I promise you, it does work. Don't know why or how, but it does. I was shocked one day when I was meditating on loving kindness, on the subject of my parents, I remember I was concentrating on the loving feelings I feel towards them, it of course felt so beautiful... it was such a powerful but gentle and warm feeling, so wholesome and protective, so I was enjoying this feeling, when suddenly it hit me! And I remember thinking to myself 'wow, if this is how I feel for my parents, just imagine the amount of infinite love THEY MUST FEEL FOR ME, their daughter!!'... it was as if a little crack opened my heart and love started to flow! And it still does, slowly but steady :) This has helped me a lot to cope with the depressing and lonely feelings that I still get every now and then.
On that note, I'd like to leave the link to this song by Bjork that I really like. Is called 'All is full of love' :) Hope you like it!
