I got a dog when I was 14 and she has been my best friend ever since. I have been hearing allot about how lately people have been taking their little dogs on airplanes and all other places saying their dog is an emotional support animal, I have not done such thing as I dont think I need one, and think its wrong to take advantage of such amenities in this world for people who need it. However, if I have the option to take my dog anywhere, I automatically feel more comfortable. If I am alone, and without my dog, I feel lost, I have no one to talk to, etc. Even though when my dog IS there, its not like we have meaningful conversations regardless.
I read a book once about a non verbal boy with autism in japan. (its pretty famous im sure others have too) in it he explains that not doing anything even for a minute, can give him the same anxiety as not doing anything for the rest of his life. When I am alone I have a hard time thinking about what to do, who to express myself too, how long I will be alone, and it feels like I seriously will never get through it, even when im only alone for like 10 minutes in my own house.
That all being said I feel like being alone for me is restless, I do not know how to behave (because I have spent the majority of my life not being myself) and ultimately lost. This is the same in a grocery store, or in a mall, when people are around me, but i have no one to refer to, talk to, or follow. but at the same time, social interaction of any kind, even with my own family, or girlfriend, can be exasperating and give me immense anxiety.