I haven't been on in a while but check in periodically to see how everyone is doing.
It is only natural to feel stuck at some times. This is how you feel and where you may be today. It is not your final destination.
I have come to the conclusion that some people will always feel a deep connection and even love for their ex. We don't all subscribe to the disposable way of life and love that so many others do.It is possible, given time, to feel that connection and love and still move on with someone else. The heart has room for many types of love. You can't rush the process of "moving on" or put it on a timetable. It will happen when it happens.
I understand what you say about missing touch. A friend of mine grew up in a household where her parents were emotionally divorced from each other and their children. It was an extremely cold and loveless atmosphere where no hugging ever took place and no soft words were spoken. She was always happy to get a hug from her friends and would say "You don't know how good it feels to touch somebody". There are many sources of love and touch in the world. Friends, animals, relatives - there is usually something we can tap into. I'm not implying that you don't know this and I am not making light of the type of love or touch we get in itimate adult relationships.
I don't think your ex will always be in your head to the extent that you can't have another relationship. You are obviously just not ready but that doesn't mean you never will be. Life is ever evolving. We are ever evolving.
We all have to face loneliness, whether married, unmarried, living alone or in a house full of people. It is possible to feel lonely in a crowd. It is possible to feel lonely when you are married. I know several married women with children who complain of feeling lonely and not having needs met. God created us to interact with each other and we will always crave human contact on several levels.
