// Photo via Stoffer Photography for The Everygirl

I realized recently that this is my fourth apartment I’ve lived in alone over the past three and a half-ish years. Four little lady places, all of my own (well minus a few months of the whole living with a boyfriend thing that kicked off my first foray into life on my own). As I’m beginning to gear up for apartment #5 which will likely happen in May, I’ve spent some time reflecting back on the lessons I’ve learned while living alone:

1. You can (and will) do things you never thought you could do: Living alone forces you to figure out how to do a lot of things on your own. There have been many situations I’ve tackled on my own, ranging from assembling furniture or putting up a Christmas tree to dealing with really tough emotional situations completely alone. And you know what? You will always figure out a way to get what you want, what you need to get done or what you need to get through all by yourself. Don’t count yourself out so quickly.
2. Sometimes there’s nothing better than complete alone time: I feel like living alone and having ample “alone time” has been critical in finding balance in my life and enough hours in the day to complete everything that tends to need to get done. Having alone time – those hours in the day when you’re able to focus solely on whatever you’d like or need to do – is totally refreshing. It’s like a little recharge for your mind and tends to keep me grounded. As much as I love catching up with friends or going out for date night, sometimes I just crave complete solitude. It’s my way to truly unwind.
3. Making decisions on your own is helpful in figuring yourself out: It’s always nice to have someone else to bounce ideas off of or validate your opinion, but making decisions completely independently is one of the best ways to figure yourself out. Your 20s is the time in your life where it’s all about figuring things out – who you are, who you want to be, what you need to do to get there – and when you’re able to own your choices and spend time reflecting on what’s worked and what you’ve learned from them, you’re able to be much more aware of yourself.
4. Go with your gut: Whether it be in choosing an apartment, what to eat for dinner or in safety situations, I’ve found it’s always best to trust your instincts and go with your gut. Go with what feels right and make sure you pause for a second and think about that.
5. Don’t worry about how things “should” be: It’s okay if your apartment doesn’t look Pinterest worthy or you’ve eaten cereal for dinner most of the week. You live alone, no one even has to know! Don’t stress yourself out over small details like this where you fear others would judge you or you’d be embarrassed – your choices with how things “should” be only really affect you. It’s all good, I promise.

Have you lived alone? What did you learn from the experience?