Isolation: How To Not Hate Your Housemates
It’s day 20 of self-isolation and the novelty of having at least 8 extra hours per day of free-time with your pals, your partner or your parents has quickly worn off. You’re starting to wonder if it’s worth leaving the house just so you don’t have to spend another minute with them (it’s not – please stay at home).
Love them or hate them, you’ve probably come to terms with the realisation that you’re going to have to spend basically every moment with them for the foreseeable. And you’re going to disagree. A lot. Especially if you find yourself noticing how your roommate just loves to not wash her hands and touch EVERY single door handle in the house.
In the grand scheme of things, staying put for a few months is a very small sacrifice for the welfare of others, though it almost certainly poses challenges, one of the biggest being the impact on our relationships.
So, we’ve got some tips to help you keep your relationship intact until the pandemic is over…
Image Source/Daily Star
Don’t Sweat The Small Stuff
You’ve probably suddenly noticed just how much toilet roll Lisa uses. Or is Ben’s humming while he works driving you nuts?
We get it. You’re sharing a confined space with someone 24/7 and it is annoying. And yes, they’re annoying.
But for your sake as well as your roomies: let it go. Make yourself a cuppa, give yourself five minutes to calm down and carry on with your day. (But obvs if the toilet roll stash is starting to look sparse, hide a roll or two from Lisa in your wardrobe).
Image Source/Sun
The ‘Feeling Lonely But You Don’t Want Your Housemate’s Company’ Feeling
Ah, yes. The classic “I didn’t think I’d ever really see this person but now they’re the only human I ever see” dilemma.
The trick is to find an activity that involves your housemate, but not one where you actually have to socialise. E.g. Find some good films to watch together where you don’t have to make conversation; you get some company AND you don’t have to engage in chit-chat – can’t argue with that!
Image Source/Instagram
Schedule Your Time Together
We know it’s not the height of romance, but if you schedule time with your partner (or your bestie), you’re creating a routine, which may be beneficial to your mental health. In doing so, you’ll respect each other’s space too.
Spending time in the house apart doesn’t mean they don’t love you and your company, sometimes people just need some alone time to do things they don’t want to do with you (do a poo, shave their toes, watch the rubbishy TV that their partner hates – those kinds of things).
Remember The Uniqueness Of The Situation
No matter how much you’re squabbling or silently winding each other up until one of you explodes (and it’s coming pretty soon), remember just how unique the situation is that you’re in.
Hopefully, nothing like this will ever happen again in your lifetime and you’ll never have to spend so much time with each other again.
Your current situation is not an accurate representation of how your life would be/usually is in each other’s company. So, if you usually get on well and you’re not getting on so well during this time, accept it and remind yourself things will be back to normal soon!
Image Source/Caroline Lucas
Don’t Be (Too) Lazy
By all means use this new-found isolation time to do absolutely nothing. Nap, put your feet up, scroll Instagram, procrastinate. But when it comes to things that involve the person you’re living with, you might want to keep on top of it.
Don’t fall into the trap of not sharing the household duties and make sure you pull your weight, then no one has anything to resent you for.
Image Source/The Kitchn
Setting Time To Talk
Talking about a potential conflict can prevent things from escalating and it can be helpful to set time aside to speak about any issues you might have.
Do New Things Together
Do activities together during isolation that you’ve not done before, work out together, bake, cook, knit, do mindful activities. You’ll both be so absorbed in your new hobby that you will have forgotten last night’s row over who usd the last sheet of loo roll…
