Today’s society is much more suffocating than ever before. Traffic, crowded waiting rooms, long lines, overflowing schools, busy sidewalks, suburbs bursting with houses…
There is always somebody next to you, and it can be quite overwhelming. Not to mention the addition of good ol’ social media. Between the TV’s, computers, radios and our own phones, we’re constantly bombarded with people and information. Is there any refuge from the chaos? Believe it or not, yes! Now, more so than any generation previously, people are choosing to live alone. There are many benefits and perks to being by yourself. At the end of the crowded, busy work day, it’s such a relief to come home to a quiet, peaceful, empty apartment/house.
Here are some reasons why living alone is actually the best:
You set your own expectations
You can be as clean or as messy as you want. Who’s going to stop you? You aren’t going to come home to someone else’s shoes sprawled across your kitchen floor, or be passive-aggressively barked at for having your shoes hanging out by the fridge. It’s your place, your rules!
You can literally be as emotional as you want
You can truly be yourself, without fear of judgment or having to put on a mask in front of others. Did you have a really bad day? Go ahead and cry, no one will know. Is your boyfriend pissing you off? By all means, scrub those counters with bleach and listen to whatever girl power music you want. No one’s here to judge.
Your free time can be spent however you want
You can embrace your creative side. With no other distractions, you can get back to your passions and spend your free time painting, playing music, writing, or whatever else speaks to you. You can play your guitar freely without feeling like you might be disturbing the human in the other room.
No. Pants.
You can walk around or sleep in the nude, without feeling self-conscious or, you know, feeling like you might be freaking your roommates out.
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You can decorate to your taste
You can decorate and organize however you want, because there is no shared space or compromising tastes. But remember to put that scary looking vase your mom got you back on the kitchen counter when family comes to visit (we’re here to help).
You can enjoy the pure sound of silence
Ahh, quiet. If you need to rest and relax after an exhausting day, living alone is honestly the best. There’s no one to fight with, yell at to turn down the TV, and no one else bringing their loud boyfriend over. You can relax however you want, wherever you want.
You have a sense of accomplishment
You can learn self-confidence and personal pride by being able to live alone. When you live alone, you’re the one who cleans, cooks and handles all the laundry and bills. It’s a responsibility to live alone, and it can make you feel good about yourself to see how well you’re adulting.
You’re learning balance
You can learn to balance your social life and home life. By living alone, it gives you a reprieve from the hustle and bustle of the day, instead of constant interaction from the time you get up until the time you go to bed. When you’re by yourself, you can better appreciate being around others later.
You’ll always know where your clothes are
You can enjoy unlimited privacy. There’s no one to be in your room, “borrowing” your clothes, eating your food, going through your phone/emails, or knocking on your door, wanting to hang out. You can even shower or go to the bathroom with the door open (because, well, you just can). You don’t have to stash your favorite snacks or hide private journals. In this place, everything is private.
You learn what you’re made of
You can learn about yourself. Living alone is great for self-discovery. There are no distractions or other people to hinder you from understanding your own psyche better. When you’re alone, you have to face yourself directly.
You can finally get a kitten
Because everyone wants a kitten. Point is, you can adopt a pet if you want. There’s no one else to take a vote on it or someone’s allergies to consider. It’s totally your call, and your landlord’s, of course.
You can let your OCD flag fly
You have total control. You choose how warm/cool the place should be. You choose what and when the meals are. You decide when and how to do the laundry. Everything is completely up to you! Yay for being a control freak!
