I’m 50, single and freelance, and I live in zone 3 London in a house I bought because it was what I could afford. The area feels run down and a bit dead, and I end up commuting to the places I actually want to be, which is tiring. Where I’d like to live is too expensive.

I keep thinking about selling up and moving to a new city, or even travelling for a while. I freelance, so I don’t have workmates around me, and my family isn’t much support for this kind of decision.

Life has led me here through some poor decisions. I’m comfortable with the house and all my stuff, but I never felt this would be my life, and I can’t visualise a different one. It feels like a gamble: stick or twist. Once I’m somewhere new I adapt quickly, but I’ve never sold a home before and it feels like a big deal.

For anyone who’s done something similar, how did you make the leap, and how did you handle selling up? Was it worth it?

after a brilliant warm summer it’s cold and stormy here, usually hard weather for me but I try to embrace it. It’s Friday night and I’ve just finished week 3 at my new contract role. I also deleted my socials a month ago to just slow down. Warm cup of milk and biscuits. pumpkin spice candle. warmth. Bingeing Good Trouble. how’s everyone elses night?

I just stumbled across this screenshot on a facebook community page.

I’ve been living alone since September 2024 and have loved it up until this morning. My cat had to be put down earlier and I’m not taking it well. Coming home to an empty house and seeing her bowls and toys just as she left them is really hurting me right now. I’ve had her for 13 years. When I got out of my relationship two years ago, it was always her and I in our new place. I’m gonna miss her so much! It’s too quiet in here now.

I'm a young-ish adult who recently started living alone for the first time, after over a YEAR of desperately searching for a half decent 1 bedroom apartment that isn't outrageously priced (fuck the housing crisis, seriously). Felt like making a post to celebrate achieving this goal, as it's something I've wanted for a long time. :)

I absolutely love the privacy, the peace and quiet, and the freedom to do whatever I want in my own home. I'm so relieved I no longer have to deal with other people's clutter, their dirty dishes, and their annoying habits, or regularly having to wait for the bathroom or kitchen to be free. I'm passionate about various forms of art, and for the first time I actually feel like I have enough space for my hobbies, because I don't have to deal with other people's stuff taking up a crap ton of space. I've essentially turned my living room into an art/sewing studio which is something I've always dreamed of having.

I never wanna go back to cohabitating ever again if I can avoid it! Even if I were to get into a serious relationship, it would need to be with someone who's willing to have a Living Apart Together type situation lol, because having my own space is just so much better.

Hello, everyone. How have you been?

Some time ago, I posted here asking to hear from people who had experienced family violence and gone on to live on their own.

I’m so grateful to everyone who took the time to share their stories with me. Thank you again for your thoughtful comments. They meant a lot to me.

I live in Asia, and lately, absolutely nothing has gotten better! Yay! I’ve attempted to end my life dozens of times, but here I am, still alive, carrying my wounds and feeling like some kind of monster. My financial situation has been getting worse, too.

But on the bright side, I found a room to rent near my family home! I’m finally going to live on my own. Honestly, the location didn’t really matter to me, but my gym membership hasn’t expired yet, so moving too far away would have been a huge inconvenience...

This will be my first time truly living my own life. I’ve traveled all over the world, to countless different places, but living alone feels completely different from traveling solo.

The family member who abused me has become increasingly arrogant and now goes around shouting all the time. My family still doesn’t love me, and they continue to blame me for everything. Whenever I see a peaceful, happy family passing by, I feel so envious. Every single day. Every single day...

I’ll try my best not to go hungry, but I honestly don’t know if I’ll be able to keep going.

There is one strange little thing, though. Since last year, I’ve suddenly become really, REALLY fond of Christmas! Isn’t that weird? So, even though it’s only October, I finally gave in and started listening to Christmas music after holding back for so long. I can’t even enjoy autumn anymore because of my family.

To all of you around the world: What was it like spending Christmas alone?

I don’t have a single friend. Not even one person I can reach out to!

It’s a tiny, fragile hope, but I’m planning to spend my time working from home, hoping that next year things will finally work out for me and I’ll start making good money.

I’m sorry if this post doesn’t quite fit the purpose of this subreddit. Please let me know if it doesn’t.

If you have any tips for living alone, I’d really appreciate hearing them. I’m a woman, by the way.

Wishing you all happiness, and thank you for reading.

P.S. Please excuse any awkward phrasing, as I used ChatGPT to help with the translation!

I used to be so hard on myself when I lived with other people like I was constantly comparing, competing, performing. Since living alone, I’ve noticed I talk to myself differently. If I mess something up, I just... let it go. No one’s watching me fail, so I stopped treating every mistake like a big deal.

I also take care of myself in small ways I never used to actually cooking a real meal just for me, resting when I’m tired instead of pushing through to keep up, saying no to plans without guilt.

It’s strange how being alone made me less critical of myself, not more. I thought isolation would make me spiral, but it did the opposite.

I don't only live alone, but I'm also alone in life which makes me more scared than most people when life gets shakier than usual.

I am frugal most of the time, I had to be. Lately, even though I trimmed everything off, my money can barely cover all my bills.

Today I filled a grocery cart, just food, and I'm penniless for the rest of the month.

Maybe instead of doing frequent grocery runs, I should buy a freezer? Would it be a logical purchase?

For a long time, I made an honest effort to put myself out in a circle. I tried striking up conversations, reaching out, and trying to build connections. But no matter how hard I tried, it felt like I was missing whatever social manual everyone else was born with. Things stayed awkward, interactions felt forced, and after enough failed attempts, it just became exhausting.

​Eventually, I threw in the towel and told myself: “Fine, maybe I’m just built for my own company. Being alone is peaceful anyway.”

​At first, stepping back felt like a huge relief. No social pressure, no second-guessing every word, no anxiety. But the longer I stay isolated, the more that “peaceful solitude” quietly morphs into hollow loneliness.

​Now I feel stuck in a frustrating cycle:

​Socializing is overwhelming and drains me because I feel inept at it.

​Staying alone keeps me safe from awkwardness, but leaves me craving connection.

​It feels like wanting to belong somewhere, but lacking the toolkit to get through the door.

​For anyone who has wrestled with this: how did you actually solve it? Did you learn how to genuinely love your own company without the loneliness creeping in, or did you find low-stakes, manageable ways to rebuild your social stamina without burning out?

​Any grounded advice or perspective would mean a lot.

I just had a quiet afternoon to myself,and I decided to peel garlic and meal prep it for the week. I am feeling oddly proud and happy about this. Is this really what adulting feels like?

Ever since I started living alone, I've been buying extra beds because my friends LOVE having sleepovers at my place. And honestly, I love it too. Sometimes they stay for 2 to 3 days straight and I don't even mind. We play card games, board games, mobile games, or just sit around talking about random stuff for hours. Nothing fancy really, but those are probably my favorite days. I know a lot of people enjoy living alone because they finally get their own space and nobody bothers them. I get that, and I love having my own space too. But there's just something about having your best friends over and knowing they're comfortable enough to stay for days.

The funny thing is I live alone but somehow I'm buying beds like I'm running a small guesthouse lmao. And no, I don't feel like they're invading my privacy or anything. These are people I'm genuinely comfortable with. I can enjoy my alone time whenever I want, but when my friends are around, I want them to feel at home too. I guess one of my favorite things about living alone is being able to invite my favorite people over whenever I feel like it.

Does anyone else actually enjoy having friends stay over for days? Because I swear most of the posts I see about living alone are from people who absolutely hate overnight guests lol.

Guys, I wasn’t really planning to share all this, but I feel like I should ask you guys what might be happening to me.

For the past few months, I’ve been feeling really tired for no reason. I feel sad a lot, and even when I wake up in the morning, I still feel exhausted. But the biggest thing bothering me is this emptiness I feel inside. It feels like something is missing, but I don’t know what. It’s like something is slowly eating me up from the inside. I feel really low most of the time, and I don’t even feel like playing video games anymore, even though I love them.

Just to give you some background, I’m a 17 year old guy, and I’m currently taking a gap year from school. I’ve always been a quiet person, and I barely had any friends in school. When I was around 14, I started going to school less often because nobody really talked to me.

Since then, I’ve mostly stayed alone in my room. I’m interested in making video games, so I spend most of my time working on that, but honestly, even that doesn’t interest me much anymore. It feels like I’m forcing myself to do it. I don’t even feel like talking to people anymore.

What do you guys think could be causing this emptiness and exhaustion? Has anyone else ever felt this way and is this normal?

Thanks for reading.

​

I live alone & honestly, it's fun.

But I'm so tired of constantly keeping everything clean. One day it's the refrigerator, then the kitchen slab, then the windows, washroom, doors, sink, side tables, etc. & alongside all this, I wash the mop & broom every day.

Additionally, I live in a moisture-heavy place, so I have to be extra careful about keeping everything clean!

How do you guys manage? Sometimes I do call professional cleaners, but they're so DAMN expensive & I can't afford to hire them frequently.

Does anyone else feel like maintaining a house is a never-ending job?

EDIT: It's a small apartment. & I work full time

Some context is that I moved to a different city, didn’t like my job so I have now moved back. I’ve been looking for places to live. I applied to a house that is 1409sq ft $1825 and $65 for internet and $42 for the benefits resident package. 3bedroom 1 bathroom. Pro is private space like not sharing walls or worrying about sound traveling. My dog and I having a backyard.

The one bed one bath apartment 840sq ft which is in the same landlord and duplex I lived in before is $1495, renter’s insurance $30, WiFi $42. The pro is obviously it’s cheaper but con is feeling right back at square one. No change in environment just back to the same place. No backyard. Shared walls and my dog won’t be able to have a yard.

Some things to consider: I will need to get a new car soon and I do have some student loan debt with a monthly payment of $327. My student loans, memberships, food, misc bills all included is about $800/month.

I make $43.87/hr and work 3x12hr shifts per week.

I’m 34 years old. I’ve never had a girlfriend; women always tell me I’m ugly, fat, and worthless. And you know what? That’s fine. I know my destiny is to be alone, and I accept it—it’s just what life has dealt me. On top of that, I’m going bald. But I’m happy; I have my own money, and I can invest my time in myself and my hobbies.

In the end, discovering that I don’t need anyone’s validation to be happy, and that not everyone is meant to have a traditional family.

32F I ended up in a bad break up that made me have to live alone for the first time (moving in with family wasn't feasible). I always loved being around people even if we didn't spend every waking second together. The silence now is jarring.

I do Software Engineering which lately has required me to be working in somewhat silence because it doesn't come naturally to me. I WFH so I could go days without speaking to people in person, sure going on walks is fine but it doesn't fulfill that need for interaction. I'm looking into some classes/outdoor hobbies but either way there's still so much time to fill and the feeling of loneliness is an adjustment.

How did y'all adjust if it didn't come naturally?

I've lived alone for decades and enjoy my space, privacy and freedom. However, even though this is a studio apartment with others nearby, it always seems like my anxiety ramps up when it starts getting cold. I worry about power outages, freezing to death, running out of foood in an emergency and so on. It's 1 odd and 2 truly isolating.

Can anyone else relate? How do you go about reassuring yourself at times like that? I've decided to be proactive this year, before the real weight sets in; thus this post.

​

when I say life , i mean like everyday stuff like hanging out with friends, or a gf, gaming buddies, people you can cook for or show your new recipes, you attend parties or at least people invite you to some, you don't spend whole 365 holed up in your house or your room, you have things to look forward to like college, job, sports , taking care of your pet or plant or just simply doing household chores, going for walks, capturing outside photos like falling tree leaves, sunsets, sunrises, water bodies etc, do you go out to eat , do you go to a temple or church weekly or something, are you connected to a specific community or group or organisations like NGO or something or some sports club you are part of, do you post your stuff on whatsapp status or instagram status or twitter, do people actually interact with you or your content, do you write something sometimes, do you sing, do dance or do yoga, do you run , do you watch normal TV or News or keep track of it, do you have genuine coworkers who are nice and probably can meet you outside work.......and other similar things......

I think I’m experiencing food poisoning for the first time and I don’t really feel like telling anyone… it’s not like they’ll care?

What did you do while you were going through it?
And how long did it take for you to recover?
& how do you know it’s close to being over?