Welcome to adulting! You have been waiting for this and now you have it. One perk would be living on your own away from your parents and their wahala. No more chores, curfews etcetera.
That’s great right? Then why does it feel so exhausting and scary living on your own for the first time? Because unfortunately there are no more free rent and free bills paid for you either.
Let me first congratulate you for your success with house hunting in Lagos or anywhere else. That alone is an extreme sport. You made it out alive into your shiny (or not so shiny) new place. Many young people now live alone these days in a bid to fill up that space between living with parents and living with a spouse. It can be an exciting time for you if you play your cards right. And you should savour it, because, for most people, this may be the last time you get to yourself all alone. Here’s what you should note:
Stay safe
You have probably never had to be as security conscious as you need to be now. Don’t take anything for granted. A locked door, secure locks and keys and knowing the in and outs of your neighbourhood are more important than ever before. Security is one key thing you need to keep in mind when you’re staying alone.
Reflect your style
Getting to arrange my space how I want is my favourite part of living alone. I pore through Pinterest every day finding new ways to switch up my space. Decor, painting, furniture arrangements. They are all ways you can use to put your personality into your very own, little space. Organize and keep it clean to make sure it stays fresh at all times.
Your space is a bubble and can be a safe space for you to come home to after work. You can now make it your personal haven without worrying about your roommates’ style or colour swatch preferences.
Find yourself
You’ll discover things you have not had the chance to find out about yourself in this period. You’ll know if you’re the type that can get up and get things done without a prompt from someone else. Or if you like to stand in your underwear and eat snacks in your kitchen at 3 am. *coughs*—like me—*coughs*. Staying alone has also been proven to increase creativity and productivity. So, I wish you luck with that!
Meet the neighbours
Don’t be “that girl that lives in apartment 12 that we never see”. Say hi to your neighbours. Show up to neighbourly occasions, pot-lucks and what-not. Everyone likes a nice person. You don’t have to be over-friendly slash borderline annoying to be a great neighbour. Just be present.
Go out
Lol. I know this sounds like it defeats the purpose of living alone and discovering yourself, but it could get really lonely without you even realising it. It’s easy to get sucked into a Netflix show and watching the Kardashians for hours and eating bags and bags of plantain chips. But, you should try to go out, eat out once in a while and do things solo or with friends/strangers. It’s all in a bid of finding out who you are.