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Self-Awareness Has Made Me Single for Four Years
Here’s why it’s not a bad thing
While the phrase “social distancing” is making its way into self-improvement headlines, my experience of singlehood amplifies.
Unlike people in relationships, I don’t have a loving arm to lean on. I made a solo move to a new country just a month and a half ago. I was prepared for a solid dose of aloneness to begin with. But just after I started making first connections here in Edinburgh — the virus came.
I decided to stop seeing people and self-isolate. For a week now, the only person I’ve interacted with face-to-face has been my one flatmate.
Living in these trying times without a partner reminds me of how strong and capable I can be on my own. Of course, I’m never really on my own. I have friends and family all over the world. I talk to at least one of them every day now.
But the rest of the time, I spend in my own company. Solo. Alone. Isolated. This makes me realize how much I changed since I first set out on my self-awareness journey four years ago.
To me, self-awareness is the central part of personal growth. I also value habit-building, routines and challenging myself. But, in my understanding, none of that is helpful if I don’t know why I’m doing it in the first place.
