Living by yourself can be the biggest dream since you are a little kid. Who has never wished to be Kevin Mccallister and be forgotten at home just to make their own rules?
This experience, which is normal in the lives of many young adults, comes with a series of responsibilities and challenges that can surprise the unprepared. However, this phase of life has many things that you only understand when you start living alone, such as the difficulties of housework and the emotions that come along with it.
Here are a few tips for you to help you enjoy your solitude and avoid having too many problems when you start living alone.
- Create a new routine
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Living by yourself will have a different routine, because when living with other people it is normal for everyone to follow the rules that are best for everyone. So it is your time to discover how to organize your house and life the way that you like.
Starting a new routine alone makes the person develop independence and autonomy.
- Strengthen your Social Network
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Living alone can be lonely sometimes, but it doesn’t have to be this way. To be honest, this tip was the hardest one for me.
It is very important to have a support network, so regular interaction with family, friends and colleagues can provide emotional support and, most importantly, reduce the feelings of isolation.
- Explore new activities
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Throwing yourself into a new hobby is a step to self-knowledge. It feels really good to start a new activity that you always wanted to do but you didn’t have time or your family thought it wasn’t a good idea. Now you can do it!
Starting a new activity contributes to improving mental health, increasing self-esteem and creating a sense of purpose in life.
- Save one day in the week
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Sunday is my day to rest, so I always try to make an effort to get things done for the week, such as cooking for the week, doing laundry and packing the things you need for college and work.
Doing housework as soon as possible makes your day to day life so much easier and helps you get rid of a weight on your conscience. For me, this weight triggers my anxiety, disrupting my entire week.
- Prioritize organization
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This isn’t the easiest thing in the world, but I always try to prioritize organization. Whatever you have to do today, do it, because when you live alone it is very simple and easy for household chores to multiply.
I have lost count how many times i´ve let a mountain of clothes build up to wash and fold. This is a tip that can help improve your life a whole lot.
- Embrace your solitude
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Part of living on your own is spending time with yourself, but it is not as easy as it looks. Learning to enjoy your own company is a process that our society never teaches us how to do, so start by cooking your favorite food or watching your comfort movie.
Getting to know yourself better is a way to find happiness inside yourself. If you don’t have self love, who is gonna love you?
- Enjoy the process
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These tips seem so simple to follow, but don’t be disappointed if you can’t do all of them at first, it is a process and it is harder than it looks. My last advice is enjoy this new cycle, like everything in life, it happens just once, so enjoy it. And also be kind with yourself, I have a lot of things that I am still messing up and it’s ok, is part of the process.
Sometimes it is lonely, sad, scary, desperate and a lot of mixed feelings, but it is also fun, happy, liberating and incredible. It’s the beginning of a new era where you are completely in control of the decisions in our own home and able to be whoever you want.
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The article above was edited by Fernanda Miki Tsukase.
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