I have stayed alone for many years and with utmost certainty I can tell you that living on your own is magic. It teaches you responsibility, discipline, and most importantly; the importance of freedom. You sleep in blissful silence. Everything you put in the fridge is still there when you get home, you can wear whatever you want, you can watch your movies/shows whenever you want. You can complete an entire series in one night, and no one will sulk that you watched it without them.
You come home to clean bathrooms. You don’t fight with anyone for leaving the toilet seat up. You have only one-person laundry to do. You listen to your type of music all the time. You have lower energy bills. You have visitors on your own terms. The list goes on and on and on. Most of the time, I love this lifestyle immensely. But then, there is another side present of living alone, which is not as easy and glamorous as mentioned.
Naturally, the cons of living alone will reflect the opposite of the list of pros above. However, depending on your lifestyle and the important aspects to you, the cons may not be weighed as heavily.
Being alone can offer a rich psychological experience, but too much isolation can have a negative impact on both physical and mental health. Loneliness strikes in for sure at some point of time. Where some people recharge themselves from being alone, while others may feel too lonely and disappointed.
Besides feeling lonely, you have to take care of all the expenses. From electricity to telephone bills, gas bills, internet connections, cable, grocery, etc. This is not an easy task. From paying everything single handedly, to remembering the due dates. In this inflated economy, this is the biggest con of living alone.
The times when you fall sick, you have to take care of yourself. There is no one to come and cook for you or clean your utensils, or even take you to the doctor. On such occasions, you will always wish to have somebody by your side. You may even find yourself getting lazy because you know no one comes to your house, so you may not even clean the house on a regular basis.
At all times, you come home to an empty house. Sometimes, you wished there was someone to welcome you or happy to see you. In the night when you are lonely and drowned in your thoughts, you don’t even have a hand to hold or an ear to listen, or not even a soul to connect with. Struggling with life’s punches, and living alone is the recipe to develop depression or anxiety. We cannot rely on friends at all times. They have their own lives. That’s when living alone feels like a prison.
Isolation is a perfect breeding ground for self criticism and self doubt. At these times, the inner critic tells us that something is wrong with us and we don’t belong around other people. In this sense, we are our own worst enemy.
You also have to look after your own safety. Sometimes, people take advantage of the fact that you live alone and that can turn out to be dangerous. There is no one to give you advice and keep you safe.
It is important to distinguish between time spent happily alone and time spent feeling lonely. Even though I have a dog with me, there are times where I crave a human presence. Many people glamourize others who live alone and think it’s a bed of roses. Let me tell you this, sometimes the silence is the loudest scream.
Unless you live with negative people or you have no other option but to live alone, it is important to find a healthy balance between living alone and living with family.