More and more people are living alone in their adult lives, with career-driven individuals choosing to spend longer as a singleton before settling down.
Many may choose to live with roommates, but when you strike out on your own, it’s an entirely different feeling.
Being on your own for the first time can be daunting, but it has plenty of benefits.Here’s how you can grow stronger by going solo.
1. Learn new skills
The first thing you are going to discover is that there are many things you don’t know how to do. Have you ever changed a light bulb, replaced a fuse, cooked a full meal, or unblocked a toilet? If the answer is no, then prepare to learn something very soon.
When you live alone, you quickly find out that there are lots of things around the house you need to do for yourself. Sometimes they may be urgent or delicate, so you need to figure out how to do them yourself immediately. In these cases, the internet is your friend – and once you’ve done it for the first time, you have a new skill to add to your repertoire.
2. Understand yourself
It’s important to know yourself deeply, and you may not manage to do that if you never live alone. When it comes down to it, being truly alone for a long stretch of time helps you to know yourself deeper than ever before. You will know your own habits and explore your own tastes further.
What will you do on a weekend when you are alone with no one to entertain you or tell you what to do? It’s time to find out. You can also get to know your health better: you may be able to spot signs that you should be taking care of yourself better.
3. Entertain yourself
You also learn the valuable skill of being able to entertain yourself. When no one else is around, you have to get creative or think hard to find something to do. This is a skill that will stand you in good stead in the future.
You will no longer see a long train journey or a night to yourself as a chore, or a time when you don’t have anything to do. You will know what to do with that down time to keep yourself occupied. This can also help you to develop your imagination or your personal interests.
4. Manage your money
Being alone also means that you take full responsibility for all financial matters – the bills, the rent, the groceries. If you spend too much money or don’t make enough, you can’t pay for what you need and could end up in debt or homeless.
Living alone teaches you how to manage money properly, and allows you to mature financially. You will learn what it’s like to scrimp and save as well as what things are most important to splash out on.
5. Take more responsibility
When you are responsible for your own home and everything in it, it can seem like a huge challenge. Once you have been doing it for a while, it’s as simple as breathing. You will become more willing to take on responsibility in future once you have defeated that fear.
It can also help you to gain self-confidence and learn how to make decisions in a more balanced and thoughtful way.
Living alone is the kind of challenge that prepares you for adult life in the way that going to college or getting a job just can’t.
It’s something that everyone should do at least once in their lives!