Woman forbids roommate from using shared office space for 2-3 hours/day, claims she's having 'confidential' meetings

What if your own roommate locked you out of your shared space?

Roommates are not always easy to deal with, even if you have a semi-normal working relationship. Maybe you both keep to yourselves and make sure your areas are clean, but that doesn't mean you won't run into conflict. Stuff is bound to come up, even between the most solid roommates. One of these problems is the use of shared space. Every time you're sharing something, you have to negotiate how you're going to do it. And if you're one of those people who didn't have to grow up sharing anything (cough cough, only children), then you might not be so comfortable with the idea of it. Or you might feel conflict-averse when this stuff comes up. 

The best thing you can do in almost any situation is communicate, and that means putting on your big girl pants and having a potentially difficult conversation. This is not easy to do. You have to be able to keep a clear head and not get too emotional, and you have to make yourself clear. You also have to be okay with compromise. You won't always get everything that you want, and you have to learn to live with that. But you can assert yourself and your needs without feeling bad about it. You don't want to let anyone in your life walk over you without a second glance.