Living with your best friends

Living with your friends is tough, there is no doubt about that. Living with your friends is also a fun and rewarding experience. Your patience will be tested, but if you don't loose your cool you can breathe through the experience without breaking a sweat!

• Respect each other and your space
• Talk problems out
• Ask for permission before taking something that doesn't belong to you
• Participate in bonding activities with each of your roommates
• Be Honest with one another about household expectations

Conflation occurs when the personalities of two or more people (concepts or places) that share similar traits, become blurred and blend into single identity.

Do not forget to respect your own desires. After living with friends for a few weeks, you might feel obligated to align with the wants and desires of others.

In the end, everyone will end up compromising.

If you feel you would rather do exactly what you want all the time, consider living alone for a few years. Compromise and co-habitation are great skills. Living together is very unique experience, without those skills living with friends could be a very painful experience for you and your roommates. In time I think most people comes to understand the importance of companionship, thus the importance of compromise. But that's just a thought.

If you are willing to put some extra work in, living with your friends is an amazing and once and a life time experience. If you have the chance, don't pass it up.

You will see a side of your friends you have not seen before. Often when you live with someone you let your guard down, resulting in your friends getting to see a side of you they may not have had the opportunity to see before.

Taking the time to bond with your friends, as roommates, strengthens your friendships and makes the experience very rewarding. Complete unity as friends and as roommates is a once in a lifetime opportunity that should be taken advantage of.

Romantic relationships can sometimes strain friendships, especially when you live together. Some people may feel that the increased presents of your significant other infringes on the nature of your home. Your roommates may have different things in mind as "home." Keep that in mind when dealing with these issues.

In some situations, "the couple" in the house may become the topic of gossip for the housemates. As for all gossip, this is hurtful and doesn't help the situation. You may only be talking about "so and so's girlfriend," but insulting your friend's partner alienates the partner, thus making them feel uncomfortable around the roommates or the house, and alienates the roommate involved. By singling out the couple, you separate from an important part of your house: your roommate and your friend.

Take some time and discuss with your roommates how boyfriend's and girlfriend's will work in the house. Together agree on a set of guidelines that will help avoid any unnecessary drama.

Here are a few suggestions

• Don't gossip about it! Gossip hurts and no one likes to be talked about when they are not around. It is a violation of someones trust to bad mouth them behind their back. Not only that, but when gossip is involved emotions start to run high. Trying to work through a problem when upset is often unproductive.
• Pick an appropriate time to talk calmly with each other. This is the best thing to do in any tense roommate situation. If your housemates are upset give them all time to calm down, then arrange a time where you can all sit down and have a civil and honest conversation.
• Set boundaries and limits. Fig

If anyone is still feeling uncomfortable, remember it is not a reflection of how good of friends they are. It is a reflection of their own personal comfort. Good friend's, and good roommates, won't let silly things like relationships ruin it.