Live alone! once a lifetime
I have always been fascinated by going on solo trips. Never mind how exciting it was to go on a solo trip, I was always escalating it to the next time. The reasons are very similar for many of us, work commitments, family time, friends, pandemics and so on.
But the truth is I didn’t know or let’s say I didn’t have the confidence to do things without anyone besides me. I had never lived alone before till I was 25 and I moved out for my work. From this point, my journey with myself began.
If I have to sum it up,
“Living alone means being an individual!”
It’s been 8 months now living all by myself. I have experienced a lot of emotions, connections/disconnects, loneliness/solitude. With that, I am learning a lot of new things and processes on the go, which I would like to share.
A. 24 hours are not less
When we start living as an individual, our needs are never lesser than being with someone. You got to cook for yourself, clean, do an office routine, and do your hobbies. It might feel overwhelming at first, but you learn to manage it with time, and efficiently. It gives us an ample amount of time to spend with ourselves and explore what else can be done to get some time out. Taking care of health, joining a workout session, dance class or painting class, reading books, or maybe a second source of income. The catch is that having so much time with us helps to discover who we are, with the necessities of life to sustain.
B. Togetherness is rewarding
Once you start living with yourself, you are being your authentic self without any filters for attraction. This is the time when we learn to be truthful, with ourselves and with the world. Every minute is like a meditation on every single thought which passes by our brains. Not every thought is pleasant, and not every night you sleep is coming with a ray of new hopes. But knowing your best interests for yourself, you will know where to put in your efforts, whether it is people, a new job, or a home. This comes with knowing your best and worst at the same time. It is time to get comfortable with your own space and mind.
“If you are happy/ sad, beautiful/nasty, it should be you. Be a wholesome individual. Don’t divide yourself into multiple. It is you who is capable of being yourself, and your soul searching is your responsibility” — Sadguru
C. Stop looking for yourself in other people
When we end up spending the whole time being truthful as an individual, we look out for the same in other people. We seek individuality, we fall in love with a content individual, and we are responsible for our own happiness/ sadness which we share with others, rather than looking out for something to make us feel complete.
“We need to learn to be alone if we want togetherness to be reach and rewarding.”
And in this journey of completeness, you will understand who is walking with you. It has to be done with a quote which we all have heard.
“If you don’t help yourself no one else will, similarly, if don’t know yourself no one else can never know”
It is not possible to feel content all the time when we have just begun this journey of self-exploration. But we surely know by the time whom we can ask help from, or talk about it.
D. Self-sufficient aka independent
By the time we learn these processes, we are truly independent.
a. We know how to manage expenses, any household, and maintenance work.
b. We know who are the people who add value to our life. Spending quality time with them is worth it with our true selves.
c. We are in a strong mental state and handle situations with the utmost care and confidence in finding a solution. Your state of mind will be strong and stable on each day of life, whether you are spending time with yourself or your loved ones.
d. Always ready to support or get it knowing our potential in the space.
e. We discover and learn new things for life, our Ikigai!
f. Perk: Even if you make your food for survival, you end up eating boiled veggies, which results in healthy habits!
Hence, cherishing this life with oneself will take you ways.
Sharing some wonderful reads below
Lonely or alone by Dr. Preeti Singh
What Is It Like to Be in a Room Full of Strangers by ElenaCooper
I Didn’t Realize So Many People Had A Difficult Life — I Thought I Was Alone by Mikelewis
