This summer, I decided to live all by myself. I decided this mainly because of how much I prefer to be alone. For my first two years of college, I lived in a sorority house, which had its ups and downs. One of the major downs (for me) was that I could never find enough time to just have for myself. I'm what you call an "extroverted introvert." I love people, but I cherish the time I have to myself more than anything. Living alone has taught me a lot of things, mainly about myself. Here are some of the most important things I've discovered from living alone:
It is possible to entertain yourself.
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My parents used to always tell me, "entertain yourself for a minute" when I would bug them about how bored I was. I went from having a handful of girls to hangout with whenever I wanted, to only having myself when I wanted to do something. Laying out, working out, and eating suddenly became a one-man activity for me. I taught myself that it is possible to entertain yourself and, sometimes, it's even better than other people entertaining you.
Silence is golden.
One of the biggest blessings that came from living by myself was the silence that came with it. A lot of people don't like to be alone in silence, because they can't handle their thoughts. Being alone has allowed me to channel myself a lot more and how I'm feeling in every moment. You can't understand yourself until you can handle your thoughts in silence.
No one can do for you what you can do for yourself.
You're the only one who truly knows how to make yourself feel better. It's always nice having someone there to help hide what you're feeling, but no one really knows you like you know yourself. If you're having a bad day, you're the only one that knows exactly what it is to get back on your feet again. If you're having a good day, you're the only one that knows how to celebrate the way that you want to. It's all about you and what you know is best for yourself.
You learn how to take care of yourself.
When I'm sick, I become the biggest baby in this entire world. All I want is for everyone in America to stop what they're doing and take care of me. Sadly, living alone, you don't have this option. It becomes essential for your personal health that you learn to do what you want everyone else to do for you. I can now say, without a doubt in my mind, that I am ready to start my life alone after college, and I will do just fine.
You learn how to fend for yourself.
This is an accurate representation of what I actually look like trying to kill the bugs that come into my apartment.
You become twice as invested in your TV shows.
When you're living alone, you basically have two options: go out with friends, or stay inside and watch Netflix or Hulu. It's obvious which choice is the better one.
Your inner maid is a lot stronger than you think it is.
If there is one thing I know for sure from living alone: it's that it is possible to do four loads of laundry, two loads of dishes, clean your hamster's cage, and clean your room all in one day.
Some nights look like this:
While other nights look like this:
It's called balance.
It gets lonely at times, but you've grown to love it.
There are a lot of times when I wonder if I made the right decision to live alone. There have been times where I am lonely and don't have anyone to talk to, there are times when I can't wait to move into my next apartment with my roommates, and there are times when I wish I was cooking for more than one person. That being said, no matter how lonely it may be sometimes, living alone has shown me a lot about myself that I don't believe I could have realized if I didn't make this choice. If there is one thing I suggest to anyone: spend a summer or a semester living by yourself. You will be amazed at how strong you actually are.
