The first few steps into adulthood, somehow, always involve leaps of faith and not fully knowing what we're signing up for... including the aspects of living on our own for the first time. For some, finally getting out of your nest feels like a foreign territory you're not really sure how to navigate around.
Here are 7 things no one ever tells you about living alone, that somebody probably should have:
1. Coming home to yourself is, arguably, one of the best feelings in the world.
Nothing feels more liberating than coming home after a long day and realizing you've got all the space to yourself. Solitude, in the right amount, can sometimes be rejuvenating for the soul.
2. You'll definitely miss your childhood home, no matter how much you deny it sometimes.
Embarking on a new journey on your own will seem exciting, however, there's no escaping the silent longing for home every now and then. One would assume being an adult means a total detachment from everything that used to define you as a child, but some nostalgias are just irreversibly sutured in your mind.
3. The very first night at your new home will always be the hardest.
The first few hours of independence can be quite overwhelming... bittersweet even. You're hopeful and excited about the new days you'll spend, yet at the same time, the realization that you're finally and entirely on your own can be a bit nerve-wracking. But it'll pass.
4. After living in quietness for a while, you'll realize how noisy it is back at your parents' home.
Of course, this only applies to big families or people with loud siblings. For some people, it can feel nice to be away from all the chaos. Can't run away from them forever, though.
5. You'll start to appreciate your parents more, after moving out.
You never really know how emotionally and financially demanding it can be, to maintain a home. If something breaks down or needs fixing, your entire paycheck is at risk. Okay, maybe that is a little dramatic, but you get the point. Finally, it'll dawn on you: "I don't know how my parents survived this."
6. You'll make a frequent mental note to the genius who invented video calls.
As liberating as it is being on your own, it's not so fun when you don't have anyone to share your days with. If you've reached that age where you're "adult" enough to live by yourself, you'll probably have made plenty of friends in your life that you don't see as frequent anymore, or families you'll terribly miss every so often.
So, yeah you'll grow to be really grateful for the video call feature in your device.
7. Everything. Costs. Money.
Living alone will make you appreciate home-cooked meals in ways you wouldn't imagine. You'll realize staying at home on Friday nights and staying in on weekends is a financially responsible decision, as well as a therapeutic one. You'll choose farmer's markets over big chain grocery stores, learning easy recipes over ordering takeaways... you get the idea.
At the end of the day, living alone feels magical and you should embrace every second of it as you brace through adulthood. What's your favorite part about living alone? Share with us in the comment section!
