A friend of mine recently went through this. She was living in a very unhealthy person. She was living with a roommate that was not be particularly kind to her. She initially moved in several years back because she couldn’t afford anything else. So my friend and her partner moved in. And they made the best of it for a while.

I’d like to share this just in case you’re living like this throughout college.

Her story.

At first things were going okay for her and her partner. But as things progressed her roommate would make some very discouraging remarks to both of them. Whenever she washed a dish, her roommate would yell at her for the way she did it. Whenever she dusted the house, the woman she lived with would find something wrong with it. She would find a way to yell at her for pretty much anything, but yet at the same time joke around with her and be nice. There were times when my friend and her roommate would get in knock-down drag-out fights, and then a few days later she would be perfectly respectful and fine. She would even take my friend out to lunch. My guess is to make up for the guilt that was living inside of her. My friend’s roommate would take an active interest in her personal life, but it clearly wasn’t in a genuine way. The y are gone from that place now, but it still leaves a mark on both of them.

It also left a mark on me. It’s been making me think about a lot of things. I live with roommates too. It makes me think of how any roommate can easily turn on you, without any warning or sign. Even in the healthiest of circumstance you need to be prepared. You need to know how to handle this type of situation, if it comes up.

Is your house making you sick?

One thing you can do is talk to someone close to you. Take the time to see if things get any better. If they don’t than see if you can find somewhere else to go. It may be difficult, but there is always a way out. If you have people close to you, let them know of the situation and see if they have any options.

Wouldn’t you want to have help getting out of a bad living situation? Be a supportive friend and look to find a suitable alternative.  I helped out my friend. She came to me and asked for some money to get into her own place. I got her the money and now she is safe and sound. I couldn’t  have lived with myself if she had ended up on the street. If you are lucky to live in a positive and healthy living situation than you are truly blessed. By many of our friends may not have that personal fortune. So each of us need to pay it forward, any way we can.

Always ask yourself this, “What if the shoe were on the other foot?”