Living alone. Is it as great as we think it is? It is as terrible as we think it is?
That’s what one Reddit user wanted to get to the bottom of in this thread:
Let’s get some perspectives and find out what all the fuss is about.
Away we go!
1. Alone.
Love the solitude, but hate the loneliness.
There’s a fine line between them.
– Scrappy_Larue
2. Open door policies.
I have never close the bathroom door, which is especially nice when you’re getting out of the shower with no foggy mirrors!
– MarinaPinotLover
3. Tap out.
Nobody ever runs the taps while you’re in the shower.
– Usual-Breadfruit
4. My, myself, and I.
You are forced to discover if you are a good or sh**ty roommate.
– vegetarianrobots
5. Clean up!
nice and peaceful, until you have visitors.
then you have to run the vacuum, tidy the living room, spray the febreeze, hide the dirty dishes, etc.
– filthycasual908
6. Out of it.
It’s like being on vacation.
Permanently.
– thenameofapet
7. The best!
far superior to any other kind of living
– iliketobecalledRain
8. Great at first…
I lived alone for less than a year.
It was great at first, I could do whatever I want whenever I want without anyone judging me.
It was so nice to have my own little private oasis. It did get lonely sometimes though.
I had people over sometimes and it was cool to have company over whenever I want but after a while of living there when my guests left I felt this sometimes overwhelming loneliness.
It got very depressing.
– 420demonkitty
9. How old are you?
It depends a lot on your age.
The older you get, the more it sets in that this might be a lifelong arrangement.
– bprimo1basi
10. A lack of motivation.
Has its ups and downs.
I find myself being a lot lazier being alone. I don’t clean as often because it’s just me. Personally, clutter, laundry, and dishes out doesn’t bother me but it compounds to the point where it does bother me but it’s a mountain at that point. Not efficient
My roommates throughout college worked out and this helped get me to workout. When that went away, I stopped.
I always had positive roommates with good direction and motivation in their life. By myself I tend to become content easily. I’d make it a competition in my own head to strive for their standards and this helped me develop a lot of good habits. They motivated me to do laundry, cook, clean…etc.
Ya it’s nice not having to address someone every time you walk thru the door but it’s very easy to become detached.
I was definitely over living with roommates in college but I miss it now. I always had multiple roommates so just one would’ve been a good balance.
Having a good roommate is better than living alone imo. A bad one is another story…
– Alt_throwaway1020
11. Bad for my head.
For me, it’s bad for my mental health.
Combined with my job, which already left me isolated, I started to feel like I was in prison eventually because weeks could go by without me talking to people.
Multiple factors were at play but that’s the effect it had on me.
– Doubt-Grouchy
12. Silence and autonomy.
I spent the first 47 years of my life living with people, been living on my own the past 6.
At first the silence and autonomy was weird, but now I love it so much I honestly can’t imagine ever living with another human again.
Obviously covid has made it a little trying, but I prefer the occasional pang of loneliness to the never ending compromise, noise and mess of sharing my space.
– kissmequiteinsane
13. No regrets!
Best thing I’ve ever done
– chariss_a
14. Ups and downs.
At first it was f**king fantastic.
I could pee with the door open, walk around naked, make as much noise as I wanted really without judgement. That was august.
Now the fact I moved into a new city with no friends has hit me and coming home to no one is the loneliest feeling ever.
And on top of that(as a woman in her early 20s) I get kinda scared when I’m out places at night knowing “huh, if I don’t show up at home, there’s no one to be worried”.
Maybe if you aren’t depressed and morbid it’s more fun who knows
– biggo-oof
15. Bright sides!
Living alone by choice at my age is fine.
And when I bore myself, there is always Reddit!
– ProperWayToEataFig
16. Throwing hands.
On the one hand, you can do as you please.
On the other hand, everything is your own responsibility, so if anything’s going to get done it’s all up to you.
And on the gripping hand, when you’re personally in need, like loneliness or medical emergency, you’re on your own.
– stebrepar
17. My favorite channel.
It’s awesome!
Life is on the “YOU” channel 24/7. But… you gotta really love that programming.
– rjm167
18. It’s right there.
For better or worse your s**t is always were you last left it.
– godhasmoreaids
19. Freedom!
Simply, the best.
No checking in with someone, no explanations required if you just want to walk out the door and do something, the freedom is just unmatched.
You don’t know how annoying it is/was to bounce your intentions off of another person until you don’t have to do it anymore.
– ThurnisHailey
20. Quite the trade off.
You can be naked all day without grossing anyone out or giving them the impression that you want s**
– goldenloxe
21. A paradise.
All the stuff remains where stuff is supposed to be.
You put a coke in the fridge and it’s still there.
The sink never gets clogged with hair.
The room temperature is always 18°c.
If you don’t feel like cooking food you don’t have to. It’s wonderful!
– DarthTheRaider
22. Bunker mentality.
For the most part, it’s fine. I mean, it’s nice to have people to spend time with, but…
My condo is my bunker. It’s my safe space, and everything in it is there because I chose it.
Downside – I’m dying alone, and may sit rotting for days…
Plus, you can’t blame people for leaving stuff out or spilling LEGO to find with your feet.
But, yeah, everything is the way I like it, and if it isn’t, still my issue to deal with.
– Squigglepig52
23. It’s the company.
Pretty great, frankly.
It’s arguably the best way to find out if you are good company for yourself.
And I think it makes one more self sufficient.
– bananabelly
24. A clean break.
It’s pretty nice, I don’t have to clean very often since I try not to make messes in the first place.
Back when I had roommates I had to clean constantly so I much prefer living alone.
– LoneWanderer013
25. Spooky times.
Nice, until you hear a noise in the next room, at night.
– harvsnova
26. Hard to adjust.
I’ve been alone since my wife passed away in 2015. It’s been a hard adjustment because I miss her every second of the day.
However, I try and stay busy and focus on doing the things I love. The hardest time is after dinner because this is when we would sit down in the den and sit next to each other and talk. I moved near my daughter and get to enjoy her and my grandkids whenever I want and that’s been wonderful.
Overall, living alone would not be my first choice but I’m determined to make the best of it.
– ItsMyView
27. Lean cuisine.
Imagine never asking someone “what do you want to do for dinner?”
– Jenova66
28. Amazing.
Amazing. Absolutely, positively amazing.
I have a dog, so I haven’t had to be completely alone during the pandemic, but it’s just fantastic.
– 82jarsofpickles
29. Lonesome times.
I moved out of my shared apartment with my boyfriend late last year.
It is the first time I’ve ever lived alone in my whole life. It was very strange at first, and so much quieter than I expected. It’s taken me a long time to get used to it.
Like others have mentioned, it is great most of the time- being able to watch whatever you want, eat whatever/whenever you want.
But a lot of the time it is very lonely. There’s no one to talk to unless you have pets and talk to them, which i do, but it isn’t the same.
– smithshelbyk
30. The living alone rundown.
• You will start talking to yourself. I don’t know why but you do. Yesterday I realized I was speaking aloud everything I was thinking of doing. Oops.
• Cleaning is easy. You clean before work and come back to a clean house unless mr. Kitty knocked down three cups and now you have glass to pick up. Oh well.
• Cooking is tough. You either make too much or you just stop by and get food because it’s easier. I dont like leftovers a lot so it’s like why bother cooking after a long day of work. Salads and sandwiches becomes the go-to good because its quick.
• This is just me but I leave the TV on. I can be reading, playing a pc game, going to sleep etc but the tv is on. Note: I put my timer on when I go to sleep so I dont leave tv on all night. I come from a family of seven so I’m used to noise. Quiet freaks me out. Even when I have a headache or a migraine, I must have noise.
• When you are sick, being alone sucks. If you throw up, you must clean it up. If you are too sick to even get up, you can get dehydrated. You force yourself to get up and get water and make soup because you know you must keep hydrated even if your shaking and your legs are near collapsing. You must take your temperature and take aspirin and take care of animals.
• Breaking your leg or arm sucks too. You have nobody to help you.
• You can bring anybody to your place without worries or needing to ask permission. A big plus.
• You only have you to help pay bills. You cant afford to get a pay cut, getting fired, taking medical time off. Getting sick after all your sick days are used means you cant afford to take time off unless your boss orders you to go home.
• The bathrooms are all yours. No waking up early to get there first, no standing outside dancing and begging them to hurry up. You can use the restroom whenever you want. It’s amazing.
• No having a roommate bring a man over and have loud sex while you are trying to sleep.
•Temperature control is all you. You can keep your house or apartment at the temperature you like (as long as you can afford it).
• No judging. You want to watch a marathon of your favorite tv show all day while eating pizza, cake, and soda, you can. This is dangerous.
• You will get lonely if you are used to having people live with you. You can completely become unsocial
– JerryTGonzales
I guess the verdict is: maybe you should do it!
Do you live alone? Have you before? What is/was it like?
Tell us in the comments.