Avoiding Conflicts with Your Less-Than-Ideal Roommate

You are a night owl, but your roommate wakes up at the crack of dawn. You buy groceries only to find that it all disappears before you even have a chance to eat it. You find messy clothes all over the floor, and the sink is stuffed with dishes that never get washed unless you are the one washing them. Your roommate talks too loud, hogs the television, and is an all-around irritant. Or maybe your roommate is not that bad at all, but you two just don’t happen to get along due to personality clashes. Whatever the case, it can be tough sharing an apartment or cramped dorm room with someone you’re not on the friendliest terms with. However, before you consider escalating the tense relationship into an all-out roommate war, consider these alternatives to avoid conflicts in the future.

Try to understand why your roommate may behave the way that he or she does. If your roommate is always waking up super early, it is most likely not because he or she wants to annoy you. It is more likely that your roommate simply is a morning person and likes to rise early to take advantage of the day, just like how you may like to stay up late to get the most of your day. Try to remember that all of the irritating things that your roommate does is likely not done for the sole purpose of enraging you – it is more likely that he or she simply does not know that their habits annoy you.

Instead of silently fuming every time your roommate leaves the television on when they go to class, have a calm chat with them as soon as possible about how you’d like for them to turn off the television when they are not using it. You may be surprised by how willing they are to adjust their habits to avoid conflict. Think about this way: your roommate did not grow up the same way that you did, so he or she is likely to have different habits and personality quirks. There is no way for them to know that these quirks bother you if you don’t say anything, so speak up! Of course, remember to be polite and respectful when asking your roommate to remedy a behavior. This way, they will be more likely to respect your wishes. Some roommates will need more than one reminder, so do not become angry if they slip up again and forget to turn off that television. After all, wouldn’t you want your roommate to tell you if he or she thought that you played your music too loudly or wished that you wouldn’t leave the cap off the toothpaste tube? With compromise and communication, you’ll be able to make living with even the most irritating of roommates bearable.

This entry was posted on Saturday, May 1st, 2010 at 8:28 am and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.