I didn’t realize how loud my apartment would feel at night

I moved into my own place five months ago after a breakup. Before that it was always roommates, then my ex for three years. When I first got this tiny one-bedroom, I felt proud. I carried a secondhand couch up three flights of stairs, set up my bed alone, and ate takeout on the floor thinking this was some big personal milestone.

Now the evenings feel different. I get home, kick off my shoes, heat up leftovers, and the whole place just sits there. No background noise unless I create it. No random conversation from the other room. The other night I was playing on my phone on the couch and looked up to realize almost three hours had passed. I wasn’t even doing anything interesting. Just scrolling so I didn’t have to fully feel how quiet it was. I chose this. I wanted the independence and not having to explain my schedule to anyone. And during the day, I like it. But at night the silence feels louder than I expected. If something funny happens, there’s no one to immediately tell. If I have a bad day, there’s no automatic hug waiting in the kitchen.

For people who’ve been living alone longer, does it eventually feel peaceful instead of heavy? I’m not spiraling or anything, it’s just this steady awareness that I’m the only person here. I didn’t realize that would take getting used to.