Living Alone Over 60

It's a growing trend...

 These are challenging times indeed and, lately, I’ve noticed a lot

 of women living by themselves. Some by choice, others are divorced,

 others have lost a partner and are finding themselves alone for the first

 time.

This brings up the conversation of loneliness and isolation and the difference between being isolated and depressed or sad about being alone.

On the other side of the spectrum are the women that love it. It is no problem for them at all. They consider themselves introverts and love that kind of lifestyle.

The fact is, many find that living alone is something you can live with and be happy. It is the time of life when we have things to think about, and having someone living with us can be a distraction.

Books on the subject advise that people over sixty living alone make new friends, take classes, join groups and be social.

This trend has grown exponentially over the last few years. According to the 2016 census, there were 36 million single-person households just in the US. Women want to live alone and they want to age in place.

If you’re going to live alone, you need to be comfortable with who you are. This means you have to know the signals — like when you’re feeling low. This happens to all people who live alone — there are moments.

A lot of women are doing “co-housing”; a group of women buys a property together where they can have private space and shared space or common areas. If you love your privacy but want people around you, maybe co-housing would work for you.

Sometimes we have to dance alone. During this pandemic, most groups have stopped getting together or are doing it virtually — which some people may or may not be comfortable with.

I recently read a story about a woman in her fifties who divorced her husband and travel. She traveled by freight from Brooklyn to about 20 ports all around South America. She writes it was an amazing opportunity that taught her patience, flexibility, and compassion for herself. That travel experience of letting go and traveling by freighter for several months taught her many life lessons.

We learn to be very creative when we are by ourselves, and maybe that’s a good skill for the future. We should seek adventure and enjoy ourselves. We don’t have to climb Mr. Kilimanjaro or take a trip on a freighter. We just have to do something that pushes us a little. There are plenty of options.

If you’re alone, it can be daunting. It can be scary. But have a go of it. Just do it.