When I heard that I was going to live alone in a city, my first thought was, 'Yay!' I finally had freedom. I thought I could do anything; there is no one to stop me. I am a free bird, and of course, I was a kid, and I had never ever lived apart from family. I thought many positive things about moving apart from my family. But later I realised that the excitement will not stay forever, and you cannot be a kid anymore, you have to grow and learn responsibilities. The first thing I want to stay away from is responsibilities. I am like, whoa! I am still a kid, I’m 21 years old. So in this article, I am going to write about the hard realities of living alone in a city as a student, not an employee.

Freedom and Independence

Living alone in the city gave me freedom, like it is up to me when to wake up, when to brush up, and when to eat, as if there were no rules to do it in a particular order. I like arranging my room however I want, so I did that. Freedom doesn’t only come to us as an exciting part of our life, but it also consists of anxiety, not depending on others for some things. I have to take care of myself, especially when I'm sick, and I have to take care of the spending. I have to do many things on my own, travelling alone and getting things done alone. Freedom not only makes you excited and anxious, but it also makes you strong and independent. It increases your confidence and self-worth.

Challenges and Loneliness

Living alone is tough, especially during festivals and weekends. And if you have a pet at home, it is very tough to live away from them. I felt very lonely while staying away from them. It was tough. You will also miss your friends in your hometown, you know, they are like your homies. They get you, but here in the city, it will be a challenge to find a person that you can vibe with. When I was a fresher in college, that was the biggest challenge that I faced. I was like Why am I not fitting in with these people? Why are they like this? Why can't they become my friends? I live in a hostel, and in the hostel, it was very difficult to be around people you don’t know, and you have to adjust a lot. But from all of these challenges and being lonely, I changed, like, why should I fit in with them? You can't fit in with the people you can't vibe with. And living alone comes with a lot of adjustments, and it will show you that there is more in life, and there is life beyond the four walls of your house. The other challenge that I faced was being with myself. Yes! Being with me is tough. I came to know about myself, like what I like, what I don’t like, and who I am. When I lived with my parents, I didn’t get to know about myself. I was occupied by them, like how to live with them? How to be a good daughter to them? It was all about them. But when I came apart from them, I got to know myself, the person I have to spend the rest of my life with. I learnt about boundaries, staying safe, and how to be with people, and how to communicate with people.

Life Skills and Personal Growth

When you live alone, you get many life skills like self-awareness, empathy, decision-making, problem-solving, and effective communication. At first, I was like, overconfident, yeah! I can do this, this is very easy and very simple, but soon, I realised that handling everything alone, that is, cooking, managing the money, dealing with unexpected problems, was not as simple as it seemed. I learned to plan my day better, prioritise tasks, and manage time efficiently. The best skill that I learnt is budgeting. When I first entered the city, I became crazy managing the bills like travelling, eating, hostel fee, health care, personal care and all. You may think that you are a student, but you don’t need to worry about that. The problem is that I am a student even though I have parents to ask money, it is tough, they give me certain amount and I have to do all my expenses in that amount which is very tough for a person who is living in a city and alone but soon I learnt how to spend the money what are the things I need to spend on and what are the thing I don’t need to spend on. I also became more patient and empathetic, understanding that everyone has their own struggles. Living alone pushed me to step out of my comfort zone, make independent decisions, and take responsibility for my actions. Overall, these experiences helped me grow emotionally, mentally, and practically, making me more confident and self-reliant.

Living alone as a student in the city is exciting and challenging. It gives you freedom and independence. It shows you how to live, it shapes you into a good person, and it will teach you many things. When you live alone, you realise there is so much in life that you have to see, and it also prepares you for the future. You will be a pro at living your life. Never compare the way you live with others because these are lives. Lives cannot be the same; they are different from person to person. All you have to do is enjoy every phase of your journey as you are alone in the city. These days will be the best days when you turn around and look back on your life.

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