Happy October! The newfound breeze carries excitement through the air. There’s bearable temperatures, beautiful scenery, breast cancer awareness month, and of course, Halloween all to look forward to. But there’s also a lesser-known Holiday that occurs the entire month, October is “I hate my roommate month”.

The honeymoon phase of living in a new space with someone you didn’t really know that well has worn off. It has been a solid month of saying “I don’t care” when you actually really do care or “No, you can use that” when you really don’t want them to use that. If you and your roomies are going through a rough patch, check out some of these tips.

Communication.

Saying this is key sounds cliché but that’s only because it’s true. If you don’t ever voice your opinions how can you expect your roommates to respect them. Also, the first sign that there’s something amiss, talk to them. Don’t be afraid of being “that roommate” because at the end of the day, you said what you feel and that’s all you can do.

Compromise.

You will never get everything that you want. Ever. For the rest of your life. Never. In case you didn’t already know what or just needed a reminder. If you cannot compromise with your roomies you will never get anywhere and never be able to move forward if there’s an issue.

Being friendly without being friends.

I feel like when I say this one people immediately *gasp*. This is especially true if you have a random roommate or don’t know your roomies that well but you all do not have to be friends. Let me repeat this one. Do not force a friendship on your roommates. If you all are already friends or natural click after hanging out a few times that is amazing, but also unlikely. You can totally be nice, and friendly and a good roommate and not have to be best friends with your roomies.

Courtesy.

It may surprise you find out but not everyone’s “courtesy compass” points to true north. What does this mean? Well, while some people may think that it’s their responsibility to clean up a mess they made, others think that the person who wants the mess cleaned should clean it. See, I can already hear this argument through my walls.

Consistency.

A large part of why October is when all these issues arise is everyone is getting comfortable. No one is still walking on eggshells around the others. If you forget to replace the toilet paper roll—oh well! It’s important that if you guys decided things would be a certain way in the beginning of you’re living together, everyone should hold each other accountable to make sure it stays that way.

Spend time away from each other.

Have you ever seen someone’s face so much that the sight of their face made you want to smash it repeatedly. The same can happen with kids you have to live with. Whether its just getting out of the house for a little or being alone in your room, take a break from the face time with your roommates.

October may be known as “I hate my roommate” month but hopefully these tips help you worth through any issues so its smooth sailing through the new year.