It can be difficult to leave your childhood home. It is the place where you grew up and developed well into your early adulthood. This is where you have received the most care and comfort you have ever experienced in your life so far. So it is understandable to have a fear of leaving your comfort zone and step out into the unknown.
Although it can be hard to leave your childhood home, there may come a time when you may have no choice but to take that step. When that happens, are you built to live on your own? You can answer that by knowing how living on your own can benefit (or threaten) your way of living.
Living alone can have its challenges, but it may also positively impact your way of life.
Advantages
Freedom
Most people do not like being controlled. When they feel like someone controls their actions, it can become a mentally straining experience. Living alone may be an opportunity for you to practice your freedom. When you live independently, you are no longer tied to the habits and demands of a housemate.
You can now do anything you please without worrying about how someone else might feel about it. You are now fully in control of your actions. This essentially means having control over a major part of your life.
Space and Privacy
When you live alone, your space is your own and no one else’s. You no longer have to share a bedroom or a kitchen or any room for that matter with someone else. This lets you practice your freedom of being yourself. It may also greatly help your sense of privacy. With privacy, we can be ourselves without having to worry about external scrutiny or judgment.
A lack of privacy may prompt someone to constantly hide things about themselves, which can be mentally stressful. By living alone, you can take care of your mental health by fostering privacy.
Control Over Your Time
Living with other people may prompt you to some policies that involve your control over your time. They may be under some form of curfew. This is especially true for people who live with their parents. Some also have to adhere to the schedule of the other housemates.
When you live alone, this will all change. You will have control over what you do with your time, and you will no longer have to follow other people’s schedules. While this may all seem nice to acquire, living alone has its share of imperfections. There a few disadvantages to living alone.
Disadvantages
Bills
One of the best things about a roommate or a housemate is that you have someone that can lighten your financial responsibilities. Living alone may mean that every expense necessary for your living and survival will fall on your shoulders.
You have to pay for everything. This includes groceries, utility bills, and your rent. This may be challenging to keep up with, especially those just starting their professional careers. But if you want to enjoy the perks of living alone, you need to pay for it on yours too.
Lack of Help
When you live alone, you are also responsible for everything you do. This includes chores and other responsibilities. You need to do everything on your own for your benefit.
It can be cumbersome to have nobody there to help you out, especially in times of emergency. With that, you have to be prepared to do everything on your own before deciding to live on your own.
Lack of Company
As we all know, we need social interactions to live a healthy life. You may be prone to feelings of loneliness when you live alone. With the lack of housemates, you are getting less social interaction. This can cause you to feel negative emotions such as loneliness and risk more serious mental conditions.
With that, you must make up for the lack of social interaction by going out of your living space once in a while to meet your friends or your family. This can combat the feelings of loneliness that you may experience when living alone.
Living alone can be the beginning of a fruitful, independent life. But it won’t be easy. Young adults often start with single-bedroom apartments that include utilities to get them started with their life of independence. Others also find it easier to rent out studio apartments.
Indeed, living alone is a huge life decision. Ensure that you are prepared to take on the challenges of living alone and not be scared of the uncertainties it brings to your life. It can be scary, but it can also be worth it.