There is a stigma in our world that those who choose to do things alone are lonely. However, I never thought that stigma was very fair.
You see, I love doing things by myself. I'm not afraid to eat at a restaurant alone, see a movie by myself or volunteer in a place where I know no one else. I've made it a personal goal to spend some time by myself each and every day. I need that time alone to decompress and recharge. In relationships, I prefer independence to dependence, and need time apart from even those that I love the most.
Yet, I don't consider myself a lonely person.
In fact, it's quite the opposite. I consider myself to be a very social and outgoing person, surrounded by an amazing group of friends, involved in several campus organizations and even the president of my sorority.
Still, I chose to live alone my senior year of college.
I'm proud of my decision, and excited for the opportunity to have a place to truly call my own. I've spent months fantasizing over how I would decorate my 300-square-foot apartment, knowing that I will be able to do whatever I want to do to it without needing the approval of anyone else.
It was a gusty decision – I'll give you that. Sometimes I feel embarrassed telling people that during my senior year of college I will be living alone. That means no roommates, no one greeting me at the door, no sorority paddles lined on the wall. I frequently feel the need to justify my decision to others, fearing that they will automatically assume I have no close friends, or am too terrible of a person to live around.
Yet, I don't feel that way whatsoever. It has nothing to do with my social life, or lack thereof, but instead has everything to do with independence and my personal preference of living alone to living with roommates. Living situations are 100 percent a personal preference. For some people, they enjoy the constant companionship, cheaper living arrangement and dependence on others. Living alone does have its cons, that's for sure. However, for many others, living alone provides people with an independence they're unable to get anywhere else.
So, here's to many nights of drinking wine and watching "The Bachelor" on my couch alone – I have no shame.
