How to Live Alone

Article • 394 Words • Living Better, 2024 • 05/21/2024

Living alone, especially for the first time, can be daunting, but there are some things that you can do to make it far more enjoyable.

There are 415 words in this article, and it will probably take you less than 3 minutes to read it.

This article was published 2024-05-21 00:00:00 -0400, which makes this post and me old when I published it.

It took an estimated to develop this article from conception to publishing.

I’ve previously written about living alone, but that primarily focused on things that I had learned from living alone/sharing my personal experience. In this article I want to focus more on giving practical advice to people who are looking to live alone or already are doing so.

I said this in the last article, but I think it bears repeating: I think that everyone can learn something and grow by living alone, but I don’t think that everyone is the right type of person to be able to live by themself, for any number of reasons. Additionally, I know that it is a privilege to be able to live alone, and not one that should be taken for granted.

1. Liven up the place: even though you live alone your home doesn’t have to be dead
   • Break the silence with music, podcasts, TV, etc.
     • Listen to music from radio, NTS, YouTube DJ sets, playlists, vinyl, etc.
     • Listen to podcasts (or watch video podcasts)
     • Watch live TV (digital antenna or cheap streaming app),
     • Get a nice speaker and play music from records/CDs or just from your phone
   • Get plants or a pet
     • Both take responsibility but you should especially not jump blindly into getting a pet just because you’re lonely
   • Surround yourself with decor (objects, art, etc.) that makes you happy
2. Plan your socialization: even if you are an introvert you really should get small human interactions
   • For small stakes interactions go to a store or somewhere with a predictable social script
   • Plan lunch or dinner meetings with friends and family that are close by
   • If you don’t want to leave the house you can always call a friend or play online games with people
3. Get out of the house!
   • Go to in person activities near by (by yourself or with others)
   • Study, read, work, or hang out in other places like cafes, bars, or libraries
   • Go on a walk or find a gym that allows you to have somewhere to go other than your house on a regular basis
4. Take advantage of what living alone has to offer you
   • Dance because nobody’s watching
   • Laugh or cry loudly at movies or talk out loud during them
   • Host people/dinners/parties/sleepovers
   • Play your own music or podcasts out loud instead of using headphones
   • Leave things out if you stop in the middle of a task and resume it later