“As soon as I got my diploma, got a job and when I had the money to rent an apartment, I did. All my life I wanted to live by myself, I knew I was going to be so happy. And I was right!! If you are happy with who you are, and not looking to fill a void with friends or a romantic partner, and you enjoy spending time by yourself, you should try it. For me it has been the best years of my life.”

“I wish I had known that it is ok to take time to get used to it. You go from being a couple to a single person overnight and my expectations were so high about how I would manage that! There is definitely a period of time where you unexpectedly bump into things that you realise were very straightforward when living with another person but a different experience when you live alone.”

“It gets better. After a separation it’s s***e for a while, but it definitely gets better. Plus, get a cat, or better get two! They helped heal me!”

“The hardest part of living alone is not having built-in casual socialization. I’d love to have a friend in the neighborhood text me to grab a slice of pizza or come watch Netflix on a random night.”

“I divorced after nearly 28 years of marriage. Lived with a girlfriend for a few months, but that fell apart. Decided the single life was a lot easier and safer. It works for me.” 

If you’d like to share your experience of living alone, please email us on hello@livingwellalone.com, or use the ‘leave a reply’ box below. What do you like? Dislike? Find difficult? Most enjoy? How did you start living alone?  Please remember that in leaving your story with us, you give permission for it to be used widely, published online and in print. Your email address will never be made public, and first names only are fine. You can also join our Facebook community at facebook.com/livingwellalone