Communicate With Your Roommate

Avoiding conflict is inevitable when living with a roommate. Irrespective of whether you are best friends or total strangers, living together can sometimes cause friction. It is therefore necessary to have effective communication tools – to help live harmoniously. Here is what you need to enhance proper communication.

For starters, formulate a roommate contract. Having a contract – printed on paper prior to anyone moving in with you – sets ground rules that will ensure friendships are kept alive in future. It is much easier to co-habit with specified terms in place. Unnecessary conflict is avoidable this way.

Make yourself accessible. Privacy has its perks when living together. But if you are constantly away – especially when issues arise – keeping conflicts at bay would be an exercise in-futility. Sometimes change in privacy settings is vital. Leave your phone number behind for the sake of resolving issues that might be hanging low.

Do things together. This is one of the simplest ways of lightening things up when living together. Going out to watch a movie or sharing a cup of coffee, is one of things that can easily steer good communication between roommates. Suffice to say, create a friendly relationship.

Never bottle up issues. If you want to easily increase your stress and anxiety levels, bottle up issues. Grievances between roommates might arise. But keeping these grievances under your hat does nothing but ‘stew’ you. Learn to compromise lest you cause yourself unwanted distress.

Know when to fold. In other words, know when to call it quits with your roommate. If the situation has become unbearable and an unnerving between the two of you, discuss how to end your relationship – in a professional manner. Ending things in a civil manner ensures that you get to respect each other’s opinion, as well ending on a good note.