Being completely alone is liberating
Sitting in a coffee shop alone in your city is scary. Sitting in a coffee shop alone in an unknown city is bliss. Nobody knows your story and nobody cares. There’s nothing more liberating than the feeling of potential.
There isn’t any chance of running into a friend or acquaintance and nobody knows why you are there. Having the liberty of being alone is gratifying. Sure, you might sit there and feel lonely as you watch others connect with friends, but you’ll have your own people to connect with in due time. Meanwhile, you have the chance to watch from a distance and observe life as it happens around you.
Immersing yourself in a new culture is fun
When you live in the same region your whole life, you assume everybody is the same way. Every one has similar political views and dresses the same as you. When you leave that bubble, you realize how we vary. People dress differently than you’re used to and they have beliefs that you consider foreign.
When you take note of the variations in culture, even if they’re very slight, it’s unexpected to see the ways we are all the same and the odd ways in which we’re different. Some people say soda, and others say pop. Everybody uses Facebook, but not everybody uses Tinder. Living in one bubble means believing some things are inherently true, but when you move to another region, you learn about a new lens with which to view the world.
It feels good to step back and say, “I never thought about it that way.” Stepping into somebody else’s bubble allows you to see the micro-changes in culture and recognize the other ways in which the world works.
Overcoming the challenge of isolation feels good
Moving to a new environment is challenging, especially when you don’t know anybody. It forces you to be alone for a few nights and possibly even a few weeks. Suddenly, you find yourself joining every group exercise class at the gym and saying hello to strangers solely so you’ll have somebody with whom you can connect.
It’s these moments that are defining though. Seeing how you act when you are alone is scary yet rewarding. Overcoming the challenges of loneliness feels satisfying and being able to sit with yourself is a good feeling. It makes you a better version of you.
[Featured Image Credit: Anne Worner via Flickr]