Me, Myself and I

As I mentioned in last week's post, I recently moved to start a new job (yay!). What I neglected to mention is that I accepted a job offer, found an apartment, moved into said apartment and started my job all within the span of two weeks...phew. For obvious reasons, those two weeks were thrilling and extremely stressful all at once. With so much going on, there was very little time to sit down and really embrace what was going on. There were a million and a half things going on and reflecting on my current life stage was not one of them.

Once that initial phase had passed, I found myself totally and all at once overwhelmed but anything and everything - that stale new apartment odor, the hefty costs of uprooting my life, the fact that my cat will never fully understand me (erm...I meant what?). Most of all, I was overwhelmed by the fact that, for the first time in my life, I was actually going to be alone. 

I'm going to be honest here - I'm horrible at being alone. Or at least I was. If you're anything like me, you probably place higher value on relationships and being with others than giving yourself some quality one-on-one time. Because of this, making the transition from college to the "real world" became even more daunting. How do you go from such a concentrated and constant amount of interaction with friends and acquaintances, to a city where nobody knows your name? 

*Disclaimer: I have since made friends with a handful of wonderful people. So fortunately, my days do not solely consist of sitting at home with my cat while eating Annie's Mac & Cheese and binge-watching Netflix. Just FYI*

While the idea was (and truthfully still is) terrifying, it's something that almost any experienced adult will tell you is part of growing up and is only going to make you a better, more successful person. And you know what? So far, they're right. 

Just check out this fitting little video called How to Be Alone. It perfectly sums up all the reasons being alone can actually be wonderful.

Great right? Cheerful music and adorable illustrations aside - this video is chock full of encouraging thoughts and pro tips on how to be alone. From spending time in public where people tend to act in solitude, to picking back up on a new or old passion, there are countless ways to fill up your free time and learn a lot about yourself. My personal favorite bit of advice? Take the perspective you get from being one person in one head. And while I've had my rough days, I certainly can say that learning to be alone has been overall wonderful for me. You remember what they all said growing up? That in order to love others, you have to love yourself first...right? Well it's absolutely true. 

So remember - it's okay to be alone. Be patient, and embrace it.

Until next time,