Familiarity breeds contempt. Spending too much time together with a person, even with those you love dearly, can become a hellish nightmare for some people. There are many stories surrounding housemates or roommates who don’t get along. Hundreds of sitcoms have covered this topic as a starting point for some of their stories.
It is not all too uncommon to eventually resent the people you are living with. Each one of their habits that apparently can annoy other people slowly pops out when living together with them. Inside the home is where people are most vulnerable. It is where they show their true selves. In a New York Times article, annoying habits of your first housemates — your parents — are talked about. This is a common occurrence in almost all households around the world.
There are even commentaries and studies revolving around spending too much time as a new couple. In a 2017 article, a clinical psychologist proclaimed that new couples should be cautioned against spending too much time together. He believed that for a relationship to prosper, space between the couple is essential for individual growth.
While there is no fixed way to conduct relationships, almost all relationships end because of individual habits that are incompatible with the partner. It is a situation that can be likened to a man wanting the toilet seat up while the woman prefers her toilet seat down.
Unfortunately, a lot of people today are forced to be housed with people. While it can work for people in good relationships with their housemates, it is not always the case. As roommates have a great effect and influence on people’s social attitudes and performance, the roommate has caused countless conflicts, both internal and external.
As the pandemic restrictions are still up in the air, many will still spend their time unfortunately stuck with their toxic housemates. Since you will be stuck with them, how can one survive living with toxic housemates during a pandemic?
Establish Your Boundaries
Establish your boundaries as early as possible is essential to communicate your demands and wants from other people. As long as they are reasonable and can easily be met, it can be assumed that they will be met with less hostility. One of the key points of being a successful person is knowing how to communicate. Communication is vital to get your point and your demands across. Boundaries are a reflection of how you would want to be reached or treated.
If you demand a specific time when you can study and have a quiet environment, demand it. If they care for their boundaries, setting your reasonable boundaries should be normalized before reaching a point where you would need a personal injury attorney. Being a peace with your space and boundaries would mean that you would also have to assert the area where you can be you without any interference.
Reach Out
To survive toxic housemates, you need to reach out outside your known circle. You need to hold video calls, movie nights, virtual dates with your closest friends. Reaching out is one of the few ways you can wash out any ill feelings you have against your housemates. By interacting with others, you can take your mind of the toxicity and have other people as an outlet for your negative thoughts. Thanks to the internet, reaching out to your friends is not that hard.
Resilience against negativity can only take you far enough. Having an outlet where you can release your thoughts and accept new positive ones is essential to becoming a functional human being. Socializing is also known to sharpen memory and cognitive skills. It is also linked to one’s happiness and mental health.
Repair the Bridge
“Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer.” It is not an indictment that your housemates should be considered your enemies. However, if it will be critical to let you have a peaceful and harmonious usage of the common areas of your home, then it will be worth it. Rebuilding burnt bridges can be an option for those who have not yet burned it all down.
Maintaining your sanity is more important than your pride. Give yourself a chance to repair that bridge that has shown cracks. One of the most significant signs that a relationship is maturing is when two people in a past conflict look beyond it and confront it.
Loneliness is a natural emotion. When connecting with the people closest to you is hard, it will only be to your detriment. Surviving the pandemic is not only a physical health matter but an important test of resilience and fortitude for your mental health as well.
