Neighbour Noise Anxiety

[neilsher]

Hi,

I have struggled with neighbour noise anxiety my whole life and never have been able to get to the root with it. I currently live on the top 3rd floor flat and have terrible anxiety about hearing even the slightest noise from below. I even get annoyed by the TV from flat on the ground floor! I know this sound crazy!

I live on a very busy road, and the noise of cars/ buses etc. has no affect on me, it just seems to be human created noise. It also doesn't have to be loud, even if it is just barely audible I experience intense anxiety in the pit of my stomach and usually have to hide away in the back bedroom where I can't hear anything to help the crushing anxiety.

I currently see a therapist but have not been able to find any clues about my intense anxiety about human created noise. I have thought that it could be reaction to not being in control but am not sure.

I wonder if anyone experiences anything similar and has any advice.

Thanks,

Neil

[SuperGoldFinch]

Hey, just seen this post and first time on this forum. I know its been a while since you posted, but I would just like to say that I feel the exact same way.

I live in a ground floor flat of a converted house, and every year we have a new couple of students move into the flat above us. I have two young kids, and we are generally quite quiet and sensible people. I get so anxious and angry from any noise made by them upstairs. Most of the time they are ok, but even their normal living noise, and opening and closing of the front door are annoying and cause anxiety. They all tend to slam the front door, which angers me, as I never do that. I also close doors gently, out of consideration to others.

I don't know how to get over it and accept that it is just living noise. I put my sound isolating ear phones in and listen to music, but obviously I cant always do that when I have a family.

I wish I could just let it all go

[BlytheFord]

Wow, I thought I was the only one that felt this way. I was just wondering why this bothers me so much today. And I decided that it is because I am so thoughtful of what I'm doing and how it affects others. We all make slip ups, but I am hyper aware of what I do and if I'm causing others discomfort.

But I also realize that this is who I am and my neighbors are different people. I cannot expect everyone to be like me, because we all have a right to be who we are. And I cannot control them. I'm still trying to find a root cause of this and a way to be free of the anxiety this causes and the flashes of annoyance. I'm on the bottom floor and it sounds like they are coming through sometimes. But I'll work on this for my own peace.

So know you are not alone, and I hope we can find a way to calm.

[ChrisScotland]

I'm also like this, I had a terrible experience of living in a flat where the people above me were having parties 24/7.They didn't give a damn and were very anti-social, being drunk and/or on drugs all the time, fighting, playing music very loud and banging down intentionally all the time.Very violent people.

I ended up moving away, but this has lead to me having severe anxiety with loud noises, and not being able to stay in a flat with someone above or below me, because I find it too stressful, even if the people are very nice.

I don't know if you would call this post-traumatic stress or what, but it is god awful jumping out of your skin at the slightest noise, it would drive you nuts, lol.

I hope both of you manage to find something that helps.