Experience
First hand stories from people dealing with different aspects of living alone and solo living.
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5 things people who live alone secretly want you to know
We asked people who live alone to tell us the things they secretly wished their friends and family knew about their lives. Here’s what they said.
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Moving In By Yourself is Like Making Pasta
Or, 'what it’s like to start living alone during a lockdown.'
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What it’s Really Like to Live Alone During the Lockdown (from People who Know)
The coronavirus crisis is affecting us all in different ways, and one group we’re hearing about a lot at the moment are people who live alone. Under usual circumstances, people who live alone use words like resilient, empowered, independent and connected to describe themselves.
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Why I Cycled Solo Through A Storm
The brakes on my car fail dramatically one Sunday as I am on my way to collect a friend. No harm done – I’ve only just left home, and haven’t yet reached more than 10mph. We take a train instead.
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How I’m spending Christmas this year (Yvonne’s story)
For some years I have joined my youngest son, my daughter in law and grandchildren for Christmas. My daughter-in-law’s brother has room to hold Christmas dinner and all the family contribute by bringing food courses or sundries. This year the family dynamics have changed - I have been invited but have decided on an alternative Christmas.
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How I’m spending Christmas this year (Hilary’s story)
For many years I volunteered on Christmas Day then spent some time with my elderly Mother. Once my Mother died I was able to spend Christmas entirely on my own and I loved it: a walk on the beach and a lovely veggie curry for Christmas dinner.
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How I’m spending Christmas this year (BertieBooBoo’s story)
Mummy has four Labradors.
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How I’m spending Christmas this year (Tom’s story)
This Christmas will be a little different. This Christmas, it’s not my turn to look after my young daughter, who will be away with her Mum. I know she’ll have a great time, but I also know that I will feel sad and a little lonely over the holiday season. The worst kind of lonely, the kind of lonely you…
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How I’m spending Christmas this year (Maxine’s story)
Do what you want at Christmas – whatever makes you happy. Work. Walk. Call someone in a similar situation. Embrace your life. Don’t feel like it’s a lesser life because you are on your own.
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How I decided to live well, alone
I’d been so excited about moving into my own place. It was 2016, and I’d just landed back in London after a couple of years abroad. Bar a short stint in my early twenties, where I’d technically lived by myself but practically lived at my boyfriend’s place, I’d always lived with housemates, friends, or family – in other words, so…