emotional wellbeing Mandy Kloppers

How Living on Your Own can Benefit Your Mental Health

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If you find yourself living alone, you shouldn’t feel obligated to start looking for a roommate right away. When you don’t have to share your living space with a roommate or romantic partner, you’ll find that you have more opportunities to work on yourself. From pursuing personal goals to improving your overall mental health, living solo can benefit you in ways you might not have considered.

 

●     Allow You to Focus on Your Own Happiness

 

You can focus on improving your mental health when you live alone because you won’t have another person there to disrupt your activities. It can feel awkward to try to change yourself or pick up healthier habits if you feel like a roommate or partner is watching you. While you’re living alone, look for things you don’t like about yourself and work on improving those habits. This might involve changing your routine to avoid watching too much television, or you might want to create a healthier morning routine. Try starting your day with a positive mantra. Since you live alone, you can shout your mantra and infuse it with emotion to strengthen its power over your day. This is the perfect situation for filling your day with positive habits that will help you live a happier life.

 

●     Allows You to Pursue Your Hobbies and Interests

 

When you live with another person, you can feel obligated to play host and indulge them in the things they want to do. You’re free from that situation when you live alone, so don’t be afraid to take advantage of the opportunities that present themselves. If you want to try a new hobby, go for it. Don’t be afraid to go back to school or spend a little more time traveling. Pursuing new activities and hobbies will also help you meet others who share your interests.

 

●     Allows You to Become Less Withdrawn in Social Settings

 

For example, going to college allows for people to blossom and find a sense of independence and self. If you are a college student and you decided that you want to rent student housing in Waterloo, you’ll be surrounded by tons of other students who are doing the exact same thing. This is important to remember because it means you’ll have plenty of opportunities to meet other students without having to take on a roommate. You’ll still be able to make new friends when you spend time in common areas or go out with friends. Since you spend more of your time alone, you’ll feel hungrier for social interaction when you do go out. This can help you seem more outgoing even if you’re normally more of an introvert. As a result, you’ll find it easier to forge new friendships, and that can help boost your self-confidence when you’re thrown into other types of social gatherings.

 

●     Empowers Yourself

 

Living alone can be an empowering experience, and it can help you face your fears. Life can be very challenging and scary in any situation. When you have a roommate or partner who shares that situation with you, the support makes it easier to face difficult times. When you live alone, you only have yourself. That can be scary at first, but, after you face a few difficult situations on your own, you’ll feel more confident. You’ll begin to realize that you can face almost anything without needing to fall back on another person. This can help eliminate many of your fears, and you’ll handle life’s challenges much better as a result.

 

●     Removes Negativity From Your Life

 

When you live alone, you will also be free of the negativity of other people in your daily life. You can wake up and focus on your positive mantra without having to worry about another individual’s negative thoughts affecting you. Since your state of mind affects your day and how you deal with challenges, living a life free of negativity can help you live a more satisfying life. It’s also important to remember that most of the negativity in your thoughts comes from the attitudes and words of others. If you’re not exposed to negativity, you’ll maintain a brighter outlook and more hope for your future.

 

While you shouldn’t disrupt your living situation or a relationship just to live alone and experience these benefits, you can be more aware of the advantages of living alone. When you do find yourself in that situation, take the time to appreciate how it will help you improve your emotional wellbeing. When you’re ready to meet someone new or take on a roommate, you’ll be better prepared to share your living space with another person.

Photo by SHVETS production from Pexels

 

 

 

Mandy Kloppers
Author: Mandy Kloppers

Mandy is a qualified therapist who treats depression, anxiety, OCD, PTSD, trauma, and many other types of mental health issues. She provides online therapy around the world for those needing support and also provides relationship counselling.