While growing up, we are surrounded by so many people. Friends and family fill our life completely, and it is only when the opportunity to study or work in a different city or country comes in that it strikes to us that we would probably have to live alone (all by ourselves!) for the first time. Of course, the idea seems really scary to everyone initially, because we are all used to living in a setup where we are dependent on people for support, affiliation, love, care and a lot more.
However, only when you try doing it once do you realize that living alone is not that difficult after all. In fact, many people who have lived alone for several years say that it was probably the best decision of their life, as it made them a new and better person altogether. Here are some reasons why you must live alone at least once in your life.
1. You face your fears
Facing your fears happens only when you step out of your comfort zone and explore territories or zones where your protective family and friends are not around you. From sleeping in the dark due to power cuts to throwing lizards out on your own, you will face a lot of your fears and overcome them with courage that simply stems out of practicality and having no choice. And that helps you to grow as a person.
2. You realize the value of money
Till the time you are living with your parents, you don’t really bother about things like electricity bills, groceries and TV connection setups. It is only when you start to live alone that you realize how much effort, time and money it takes to build a house, from installing Internet to buying detergent to putting nails on the wall for hanging stuff to cleaning toilets all by yourself. And that’s when you start to realize the value of each penny that you earlier used to take for granted. You also start saving more and spending judiciously.
3. You introspect
You get to know yourself better, because for once you spend more time thinking and talking to yourself rather than talking to others. You realize what you are good at or what interests you more. So many people have found their calling and true interests only after living alone and spending some time with themselves. This is highly important for a person’s intellectual growth and self-evolvement.
4. You become independent
This does not mean that you become selfish or way too self-centered in life. But when you don’t have people around you, there is nobody to take responsibility for the mistakes you make. And whether you like it or not, there are sometimes no people with you in your joyous moments too. You learn to become independent and lead a life where you take sole responsibility for yourself and the decisions you make.
5. You understand relationships better
It is only when you are away from some of your closest people do you realize the true value of relationships and people. You develop more patience to deal with different kinds of people, and realize how important it is to spend time with family and near and dear ones. In other words, you realize why life needs that perfect balance most people crave for, and learn how to achieve that.
If you’ve never lived alone, you must do that at least once in life. You will gain a new perspective to life altogether, and will discover new things about yourself.