Speaking with the solos in my community, I hear them often talk about the reasons why they chose to live on their own. Mind you, living alone doesn’t mean you don’t have a relationship by any means. About half of them actually have living apart together or LAT relationships (if you want to learn about LAT, try here). What I am trying to say is that “living alone”, doesn’t necessarily mean that you live life without having the same deep and meaningful connections that people living together have. So why live alone you ask?

No more nagging

I don’t need to sell this one. I don’t know about you, but to me, this was the single biggest source of stress outside of work, the nagging. If this was the only benefit of living alone, it would be a hundred times worth it.

Space

Sometimes it is as simple as, “I like to live in my own space – by myself.” A one man democracy 🙂 Everything you see is yours. If you break it, damage it, alter it, wash it with the wrong detergent, it’s OK…it was yours anyways. You can leave everything as is, or change it on a whim, trash or redecorate your living room, accidentally impregnate your whole apartment with a heavy garlic smell…no worries, it’s all good! Your space, do as you want to do.

You will not always ask yourself for genuine “me” time, but when you do, and you really need it, you should consider giving it to yourself.

….you should also consider what not giving that time to yourself would result in.

Peace and quiet

By far away, this is the main reason why people choose to live the solo life. It might not be the only reason -seldom is there only one reason- but it is very often one of the main reasons why people lean towards living alone. It might seem like some people will never stop seeking the hustle and bustle life, but in time, everyone craves peace and quiet.

Choice over which social activities you take part of

When you live with someone, you have to attend yours and their social gatherings. Hey, sometimes you can have a blast if they have cool friends and family…but if they don’t…this can become a thing as the years go by. And let’s not forget that the vast majority of family gatherings take place during your days off…the ones where you actually want to rest or do something fun.

Freedom to do whatever you want whenever you want

  • I want to spend the next 3 months building a better mousetrap
  • Lads are coming over…and they might have to stay the night
  • My family is coming over…and I don’t know when they will leave
  • Try a protein only diet for an indefinite amount of time
  • “Sure, I’ll babysit your Rottweiler this weekend!”
  • I want to lease a pool table for my living room
  • Hitchhike to Mars:

I could go on and on, but you catch my drift…

Freedom to do absolutely nothing

I am not leaving the house, answering the phone, or opening the door for the next 3 days….(except for the Uber eats guy)

Focus

At times, you might get to a point in life, where what you want the most is focus. You want to focus on :

  • Your Career
  • Spirituality
  • Fixing or harmonizing your past
  • Finding or defining yourself
  • Transitioning period

You will not always ask yourself for genuine “me” time, but when you do, and you really need it, you should consider giving it to yourself. You should also consider what not giving that time to yourself would result in.

Pets

Depending on what sort of pets, and how many of them you have…they could require as much time as a full family does. As beautiful as a house full of pets is, it is a great responsibility – one that is not always easy to share with someone else.

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