To get a realistic evaluation and a precise indication on the subject of living alone in general and unintended singels in particular, I did several interviews within my circle of relatives. The questionaire contained questions like „in wich situations are you bothered by the circumstance, that you are living alone?“ or „is there anything you are doing to feel less/not alone?“ The results had a wide variety, but there were quite a few similarities. This is a selection of answers, that really helped me understanding living alone in general.
In which situations are you bothered by the circumstance, that you are living alone?
Theresa (84), widow: “Since I am living alone for a long time already, I get along with it rather well. But in the evening, when I enter my bedroom and I think about sleeping another night alone, I sometimes do feel lonely.“
Agnes (61), widow: “When I'm not doing anything in particular, sometimes I actually feel the silence in my flat. This feels quite depressing.“
Is there anything you are doing to feel less/not alone?
Theresa (84), widow : “There is a good radioshow in the evening on my favourite channel. The host picks a certain topic and the people can call him and discuss it. I listen to it almost every day.“
Sabine (37), single: “Actually, my TV is running all the time, wich helps me a lot to relax - even if I'm not watching it all the time. I switch it on, when I get back from work and I switch it off when I go to bed.“