Living away from home is as daunting as it sounds. You have to give up the comforts of your room, your bed, your closet, food, and literally everything that has become familiar to you. However, nothing gears you up for the real world better than living independently and it has its long term advantages.
Step out of your comfort zone
The one prerequisite for personal growth is pushing yourself to face your fears. Nothing makes you more independent than stepping out of your house (and everything familiar to you) and into a completely new environment. You have to interact with people, adjust with people from different backgrounds, get acclimated to the place and possibly embarrass yourself getting accustomed to the culture. As unpleasant as that may sound, it makes for some memorable moments in the long run. One that you won’t regret.
Accountabilty
With no one to dictate all the different aspects of your life, you actually have to make some rules all by yourself. You thought picking a university major was difficult? Wait till you have to juggle academics, part time jobs, chores and a social life along with your sanity. You might not get it right the first time but hey, no one actually does. The best part is that you learn from your own mistakes
Pursue academics without pressure
Studying at home is not necessarily a bad thing but it DOES influence your choices. You might stick to common majors and stay on the safer side (career wise) or you might go for a major that your friend is picking. Being away from can give you a fresh outlook and encourage you broaden your horizons without any pressure.
Personal growth and development
A lot of life skills are learnt when you stop relying on people around you. Being away from home, students pick up a lot of useful things along the way. Cooking, grocery shopping, budget management, time management, etc just to name a few. Dealing with all sorts of people gives you the knack of communication and handling conflicts and other tricky situations. This is very useful once you enter the work environment.
Thinking on your feet
Handling so many aspects of your life actually increases your mental capacity. When you are in charge, you become confident in your ability to deal with different obstacles. Knowing you have no crutch to lean on, you start to make decisions quickly and with confidence.
The first few months maybe hellish but it is worth all the lessons life teaches when you leave your comfort zone. It is filled with both challenges and opportunities for growth.
“Change is an opportunity for growth. Embrace it, learn from it, and let it propel you forward.” – Unknown
