What to do when you’re ready to kill your roommate

Because no one really enjoys cohabitation

There are very few people who are blessed with finding a roommate that they actually have little to no problems with. For many others, living with someone can be like living a very long, exhausting episode of My Cat from Hell.

Do not fear, there are other ways to show your roommate that you disagree with them without squirting them with water.

Give a little to get a little

Respect is a mutual aspect to any relationship.

Whether it’s teetering on the fence of friendship or deeply embraced in an everlasting soulmate-ship, respect is important and it can’t simply be demanded without being reciprocated.

If you want your roommate to respect your space, you must in turn respect theirs.

 

Sharing is caring

Another greatly overlooked detail in the roomie book is the fact that the space is (or should be) equally shared. Both you and your roommate pay the same amount of money for the tiny home you live in.

There is no need to split the room in half with a string of tape, just keep in mind that you are only one of two inhabitants of your humble abode.

What’s yours is still yours

Everyone has heard the saying, “What’s yours is mine,” but just because you have moved in with someone doesn’t mean that your things are automatically their things too.

It’s OK to have your boundaries and limits, just communicate them to your roomie.

Keep it clean

Not only is it dreadful to not be able to see your floor, but it’s dreadful to have to waste your precious nap or Netflix time cleaning a mess that could have been prevented.

Make a list of weekly things to be taken care of with your roomie, then designate who will do what.

It’s OK for things to get dirty, but even Cinderella had time to clean before heading to the Ball on Friday night.

Keep the sexiling to a minimum

Remember what we said about sharing? Good, because it’s vital to keep it PG while in the presence of the foreordained third-wheel— your roomie.

Everyone has been “sexiled” a time or two, but don’t take advantage of a kind roommate who is willing to relocate for the night.

Hormones are inevitable, but there are other places that you can carry out your dirty deeds.

If there is an elephant in the room, acknowledge it

Many times, solving a roomie conflict is as simple as just talking it out. Identifying the issue and finding ways to resolve it is so much better than letting it sit and marinate in tension.

Even though it may be awkward, it’s better than pretending that everything is alright.

You do you

It doesn’t matter if you are conjoined twins or the worlds worst enemies, everyone needs some alone time. If you need some space of your own, just ask for the room an hour or two.

Nine times out of ten, your roomie will understand. Who knows… maybe they need a breather too!

Roommates can be difficult at times, you just need to know how to effectively handle flare ups. You aren’t required to be BFFs with your roomie, but a relationship in which you can communicate will make your semester less rocky.

If you think about it, Tom and Jerry weren’t always friends, but Tom never did eat Jerry.

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