Living with a roommate in your apartment can be a very serious decision. Many people think that this stage is like the one we see in television series; they live happily, problems arise, but in most cases everything is perfect. However, the idea of living with someone else and sharing your lifestyle, as well as getting to know the other person’s, can have many challenges along the way. Especially if that person is your best friend or friend. Perhaps you may think that living with the person you tell everything to and have known for many years would make things easier, but it is one thing to have as a friend someone you see almost every day and share experiences, and another is to live 24 hours a day. with it, get to know their habits and behaviors in-depth.
Many people call this a survival experience because on many occasions things have not ended very well between friends who live together. It should be noted that there are also many who have found a way to live together and maintain their friendship. The truth is that living with a roommate is quite an experience.
1. Time alone is sometimes necessary.
Living with your best friend means that you will always have someone to share your lunch with, someone to ask for advice or to do marathons of series or movies. On the other hand, having time to enjoy or share with other friends can be difficult to plan. Sometimes you just need time alone, and a true friend will understand that this requirement is good for your relationship.
2. Lists with cleaning tasks do not work
Cleaning schedules between roommates are one of the main reasons for fights and the most frequent cause of a relationship between roommates and two friends breaking down. This is what happens when they have a cleaning schedule: the person who likes to clean continues to do the cleaning, while the person who does not like to clean continues to not. So the patience of the cleaner slowly wears off until it explodes and eventually both roommates end up living apart.
3. Your food is not safe
Although when there is a relationship of true friendship with your roommate it means that there is trust between you, this does not mean that one can eat the other’s food. A fundamental rule for a good coexistence between roommates, no matter how much your friend is, is to establish rules that include respecting the other’s food. Believe it or not, doing this will avoid many problems, especially arguments, especially when one of you discovers that the other ate a favorite food.
4. Discover how similar (or different) they really are
Some best friends are like two drops of water, but for others it is the classic case of opposite attraction. The most successful roommates are those who enjoy spending time in a similar way. A person focused on his career and who likes the morning living with a person who likes parties and the night is a sign of disaster.
5. Make known what they think is the final challenge
It’s one thing to tell a person you have known for six months to stop throwing their wet towels on the bathroom floor, than to tell a person you have known for ten years. Even the smallest household problems can be considered an argument. If something bothers you, let it be known to your friend. There may be a perfect and legitimate explanation that can save your friendship.