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How to Live Alone
And not feel isolated or lonely or anti-social
Women who live alone are often still regarded as lonely or suffering from some selfish gene, which makes them unable to find friends. And the old cliche — they can’t find anyone to live with or marry.
There are ways to avoid these stigmas if you sense they are aimed at you. Firstly, you need to recognise them for what they are.
Are these familiar?
“Gee, your new house is sooo big. Who’s the lucky guy? You can’t be serious that you’re living here all by yourself.”
“You poor thing. It must be hard living alone. Just as well you have a dog/cat/parrot for company then.”
“I don’t know how you live here like this with no-one to talk to. I’d go crazy.”
That last person doesn’t realise that some of us go crazy if we are surrounded by people all of the time. Being divorced and then sharing with room mates, I relished buying a home of my own. I didn’t feel selfish or that I had become one of those difficult women I’d read about.
It’s a cliche but I can feel lonely in a room filled with people who I don’t know well, or sense are very different in how they see things. I like people but I choose not to be surrounded by them all day and evening. I do have that choice.
