I spent most of my summer in my small Kingston apartment. I have a great roommate and have gotten used to living with another person. However, she moved out in March, and she is most likely not coming back until the winter term. It has taken some adjustment for me to feel more comfortable being alone, but nonetheless, I have come up with several ways to facilitate my time in the apartment alone.
- Modify Your Space
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Since I found it quite weird not having anyone to share the space with, I thought it would help to move things around my bedroom and reorganize the kitchen. This aided me to reframe my mindset of living alone. It also allowed me to make little changes that my roommate may not have approved of, such as storing my most used kitchen appliances on the table or keeping my toiletries in the bathroom at all times.
- Keep In Touch
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One of the reasons I chose to share an apartment with my roommate was to have consistent social interaction. Although I didn’t interact with my roommate too often, it was still a little unusual for me to not have anyone around for the first couple of days. Social distancing is important to keep in mind, but there are so many other ways of interacting with friends while following quarantine regulations. I found that connecting with others, even just on social media, helped me feel less isolated while living alone. Simple things such as going out for walks with friends just to catch up also really helped.
- Keep Your Area Tidy
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Sometimes we all forget about keeping things tidy. Having a roommate helped me stay on track to keep dirty dishes under control daily, taking out the recycling weekly, putting all of my clothes away after laundry day. Not only does this make me a better roommate, but it keeps me in check for keeping my space neat. Not having someone else to keep me involuntarily accountable to keep our living space clean doesn’t always keep me on track with my tasks. Thus, I’ve been making lists for small cleaning tasks each day so that I am not overwhelmed, and it has really helped me stay up to date and organized with keeping my space clean.
- Enjoy The Little Things
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Although I get along really well with my roommate, it’s nice to have some time to myself in the common areas. Do small activities that make you feel happy without worrying about inconveniencing your roommate. Spend more time taking a bath since there’s no one who needs to use the shower after you! Devote hours in the kitchen to cook a special meal without worrying if your roommate needs to use the stovetop! Play trashy music and have a wild dance party in your room without worrying about someone dancing better than you!
Although there are lots of advantages to having a roommate, it is refreshing to be alone for some time as well. For all those who have roommates not coming back in September, things might be a little weird at first, but it doesn’t have to be so difficult to get used to a new normal!