Moving out of your parents home to live independently, is both exciting and terrifying in equal measures. On one hand, you finally have the freedom to live the way you want. But on the other- you’re now responsible for your own bills and dirty laundry. Chances are you’re more than ready for new adventures in this next chapter of your life, but there are some things that are worth bearing in mind. Here’s what you need to be aware of if you’re moving out and living on your own in the near future.
What inspired me to write this post is the fact that I recently transferred schools and moved to NYC! I had moved out of my parents house before, to go to college. BUT, this experience is totally different! I’m now living in a huge city, hours away by plane of my family and it just feels more real than living at my sorority house, one hour away from my mom. It is amazing, but it also made me realized some things and tips for people going through this right now. Living alone and not with your parents anymore is exciting, but it comes with great responsibility.
LOOK AFTER YOURSELF
When you lived with your parents, chances are you had a hot, healthy home cooked meal served up each evening. You were forced to get out of bed in the morning, even if you didn’t want to (which lets face it- you didn’t want to because bed=life). You generally had someone to keep an eye on you, your habits and lifestyle. When you move out and are adulting for the first time, it’s up to you to do all of this off your own. And realistically, you have two choices here. The first is to give the angsty teenager in you everything they’ve ever wanted. Or, to live properly. Not because you have to, but because you want to be happy and live well.
By living properly, I mean just taking care of yourself and your body, by eating healthy, getting sleep and being productive. This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t eat junk food or procrastinate and indulge yourself once in a whole. Everything, is about balance, it’s an important thing to learn and get right when you finally have the freedom of being in control of your own life.
SPEND TIME WITH THE RIGHT PEOPLE
The people we spend the most time with can either build us or break us. They can influence us to do our very best, or lead us down the wrong path. It can be difficult to know who is bad news and who deserves our time. As a general rule, spend time with those who make you feel good, encourage you and help you to be the best person you can be. Don’t let anyone drain you emotionally, take advantage or use you. These are just toxic relationships and the best thing you can do is to distance yourself. They can be a bit hard to spot, but if a “friend” is just being toxic and you feel like they drag you down instead of lifting you up, then why do you want to keep seeing this person? Is it worth it? Probably not.
LEARN HOW TO MANAGE YOUR TIME EFFICIENTLY
This is something I’ve always struggled with (I’m a HUGE procrastinator). And when I moved to New York and started at a different school and was trying to grow my Instagram and blog, everything came together and it just made me feel more overwhelmed than ever. It was like trying to do a thousand things at the same time… Not to mention it was a huge change in my lifestyle. I guess what I’m trying to say is that you should learn how to manage your time as soon as possible. Because once you are living on your own, you’ll have way more things to do than you already do. And if you don’t want to feel overwhelmed and like there is no time for you to get things done, then manage your time wisely. That includes learning how to say no to some things.
I’ve always being a huge believer that there is enough time and that you just need to find an effective way to manage it. This is something I’ve always told myself when it came to boys: “It doesn’t matter how busy he is, if he cares, he’ll make time”. But, I guess this one goes for yet another post on the girl talk series!
LIVE AUTHENTICALLY
One of the most difficult things to get to grips with as an adult is how to live authentically. Your actions and choices need to match your beliefs. You should be living in a way that’s true to you and not just an imitation of what you believe you should be doing. To achieve this, you need to know what you’re really about, what you stand for and what you want from your life. This can take some time to figure out. But be sure to think about it, and spend real time getting to know yourself. Once you know what you want, you can carve your own path and will feel at peace knowing what you’re doing is right for you.
Maybe you didn’t go to college right out of school but now feel like it’s the best decision for you (click here to find out about colleges and universities). Perhaps you’ve started a career in one area, because you were expected to by your family. But you know in your heart you’d rather do something else. These kinds of decisions can be bold moves, and take courage and confidence. Work on getting yourself to a place mentally where you feel happy saying ‘this is my decision and I stand by it’ and be prepared to put it into action.
It took me quite a while to find out what I wanted to do with my life, professionally and personally. And even if I still have things to sort out, I’m in a happy place right now. Thing is, this takes time and it is okay… It is okay if you don’t know what to do with your life just yet. Don’t worry because you’ll find out soon enough. Also, always remember not to compare yourself to others, and that everyone has a different pace.
Adulting is hard, but having the freedom to choose the life you want and carve your own path is magic. Do your very best, and live in a way that’s true to you.
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