How to Live Alone Happily: Part 2

Challenges of Living Alone

Every challenge presents an opportunity to grow

You will inevitably have to face several challenges when you venture out into the “Real World” which is why it is better you prepare in advance to conquer them. In this blog post, you will be presented with information collected after more than 3 years of living on your own.

If you think of these challenges as tests/exams in your school (in a more practical sense) you may be able to glide through them with ease. All of the following mentioned obstacles/challenges, require the best use of your gathered information.

You may ask;

Why does it have to be difficult? Living on my own has been a dream for so long, besides, I enjoy my own company and there are no issues with expenses as such.

Well, life is not a bed of roses. Even if you have tons of money, you still have to get out there and do stuff. You can hire all the help in the world but it won’t help you be more satisfied. You may enjoy living alone, the idea of staying in your room may seem fascinating when you live with a bunch of people (your family, etc) but we are social animals in the end and we need to socialize too.

Following are the most prominent challenges a person faces after moving out:

1. Living arrangements: 

When you are a kid these kinds of things do not concern you, most likely you are born in a well-settled household or your parents make the required arrangements. This is the most important thing that you must tackle first. Depending on your requirements/budget you can choose from the following options for yourself;

• Paying Guest/PG:

By definition, this type of accommodation refers to a secluded room in someone’s home. You live with a family who offers you meals and a separate/shared room in exchange for some money.

However, nowadays when you go and look for a PG it usually refers to a smaller version of a hostel run by property managers who stay there, do all the chores, and even cook meals for you. Usually, you can opt for a private room or share it with someone.

Some of them also provide shared accommodation for both men and women, so if you are looking for an extremely budget-friendly live-in option this would be your go-to option.

• Hostel:

It is self-explanatory, but for those of you who don’t know a hostel is a large-scale shared accommodation where you share rooms with people. This situation is ideal when you are leaving home for the first time as you get the most number of facilities in a hostel, including daily meals, cleaning of your rooms & common areas like lounges, and even laundry in some cases.

With the evident benefits associated with this type of accommodation, the downside is significant too. You don’t have much privacy in a hostel and you may have already seen memes on the hostel/mess food on social media. Several colleges also offer hostel facilities to their students, I recommend freshers of any institute experience the hostel life at least once in their life.

• Flat/Studio apartment:

You enter a rental agreement with the owner of the flat/your landlord, to stay on their property for a definite period of time. There are primarily three types in this category: Unfurnished (Just the walls, doors, fans, and toilets), Semi-furnished (Basic structure + Bed/Mattress, cupboards, and table-chair), and Fully furnished (includes everything, basic structure, furniture, and appliances such as fridge/AC, etc).

2. Looking after your body/health:

You have to be on the lookout for your health and wellness, make sure you eat right, get some sun, and do at least 15 minutes of physical activity. We know that no one likes getting sick but nobody is completely immune. Make sure you have a first aid kit with you and some basic medicines to help you overcome easily in case you get down with something. Knowing a general physician/hospital that is nearest to your stay is absolutely essential, if you have a long-term disease such as Asthma/Diabetes/Heart problems, make sure you know where the specialists are in your area.

Precaution is always better than cure, and in case you fall ill there are an infinite number of resources available on the internet in today’s world, finding doctors have never been easier with platforms like Justdial.com, Practo, or Google. Find doctors for your needs near you, check their reviews and credibility, and book appointments online.

3. Travel:

If you have your personal car/scooter/bike then things will be a bit easier but most people don’t carry their personal vehicles to a new city/place and need to rely on public transportation/cabs. This is what makes Google Maps such a wonderful tool if used with common sense. You can check the distance & time taken through Google maps, memorize the route or follow it while traveling to make sure you don’t skip a turn or the cab doesn’t take you on an unplanned journey.

Booking a ride on any of the service providers such as Ola, Uber, Rapido, etc is also one convenient way to reach your destination. Make sure you check the address and verify it using Google maps to ensure that you don’t end up somewhere else. I always follow my journey on Google maps when I don’t know the route from the back of my mind, even if I am traveling in a cab as this helps me be aware and protect myself in case I am traveling with a suspicious person to avoid danger.

In various cities like Delhi, Jaipur, Agra, etc you’ll also see several buses running throughout the day, you can check the route of these buses with the help of Google maps or even ask localities to help you get by easily.

4. Personal safety (JAAN MAAL KI SURAKSHA):

TV series like Crime Petrol or even News Channels do a great job of magnifying the worst-case scenarios possible for us, especially when we are living on our own. I am not saying that the world is absolutely safe and we live in ‘Satyug’ but things aren’t as bad as they say most of the time. As a young girl living away from home for the past 5 years I have devised the following rules I go by to ensure my safety;

• Always check for your wallet, keys, and phone(at least 30% battery) whenever you move out
• Confirm the location/address and follow your journey on Google maps.
• Always stick to the main road when going to a new place, do not go for any shortcuts as it will not save you time. You are likely to lose your way while going through this “shortcut” and end up spending more time to get back on track.
• Whenever possible travel with someone or in public transport. In case you have to go alone, make sure you tell someone about your plan.
• If you ever feel unsafe, share your live location through Whatsapp or Facebook messenger, or Google Maps medium and call someone to talk to them to minimize your chances of being attacked. Look out for a policeman or a busy place with a lot of people near you.
• If you think the cab driver is taking you somewhere else, ask him to change back to your known/familiar route. If he doesn’t comply, get out of that vehicle immediately.
• Whenever you go out to party, make sure there is one person with you who you trust implicitly and they are sober. If you have/want to go out to party alone, make sure you don’t drink anything offered to you or op for pre-booze at home and watch your alcohol.
• When you get back to your place, lock the main door and keep it locked unless you live in a secured building with a security guard, camera, etc.
• When you leave your place, make sure you close the door and every possible entry point so that no one will be able to enter and hide, just in case.
• Call your parents/friends/helpline number immediately if you feel threatened/followed by someone. Again, Precaution is better than cure.
• Do not give your keys, phone, card, etc to anyone you do not trust or even If you have the slightest doubt.
• There is no harm in saying ‘No’ do not give in to peer pressure and let someone you trust have your back in social gatherings or have enough willpower to deny and take your stand.

5. Socialising:

Humans are social creatures, we thrive in communities where we can feel at home and get depressed when there is no connection with others. When you begin your journey of being independent, seeking out friends with who you can form a bond and trust in times of need is one of the best things to do for yourself

Things to Keep In Mind:

1. As soon as you shift into the new place, find out where is the nearest local market, grocery shops, medical store, general physician/Hospital, and other things like a Business center/stationery shop or where you can get printouts, etc as per your needs.
2. Most of the things you can find through google/ google maps, in case you are facing some difficulty in finding good resources/places don’t shy away from asking your neighbors or people around you. We Indians are known for our hospitality throughout the world, I am sure 8 out of 10 people will guide you to the right place.

When thinking about challenges in a new city, I suggest you be prepared with the required knowledge. It is better to have it and not use it than need it and not have it.

A word of caution: Although most of the time nobody is out to get you, it is better to be cautious.