Study after study has proved that when you get to know your neighbors, you live a happier and safer life. This applies to apartment living and even home living in more rural areas. Things like neighborhood watches work much better when you know the faces and names of the people in your building or hallway. The problem is introducing yourself to your neighbors without seeming like a predator or a weirdo. People take their privacy very seriously and many people can tell stories of living in apartment complexes for years and never even knowing the names of the people around them. Here are a few tips you can employ to get to know your neighbors better.
If you are a bit on the passive-aggressive side and you aren’t likely to go knocking on your neighbors’ doors, you can make home made greeting cards on your computer and slide them under your neighbors door to say hello. Simply state your name and give some basic information about yourself and state that you are happy to live here and you want to meet everyone at some point when they have a free minute to come over and say hello. This puts the onus on your neighbors and lets them be as forward as they want to be. You aren’t really invading anyone else’s space or privacy this way and it is a good way for people who do run things like a neighborhood watch to learn about you and to get you involved if you want to be.
You can also wait until a major event like a holiday or a big sporting event and have a cookout or some kind of party you can invite everyone to. Make sure you have several friends there since it could be uncomfortable to invite over a dozen strangers to your apartment all at once. Chances are, only a percentage of people you would invite would even bother coming over since so many people just want to be left alone, but it will serve as a great get to know you event for those that want to be known.
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