One of the most noticeable issues in terms of nuisance is noise. Whether it is neighbors talking loudly, the local pub where drunken people continue their singing outside or the local music club that honks very loudly, there is a reason for everyone that disrupts the peace. The only question is, is that part of life or will it ruin your life?
Difficult people?
Are we a difficult and whiny people? In any case, we rank relatively high when it comes to complaining about nuisance, one in four people indicate that they are regularly bothered by their neighbors or other nearby environment. Where a radio that is a little too loud is considered a nuisance to the neighbors. That says something about our tolerance and while these aspects were not a real issue in, say, the 1980s, the deepening individualization and hardening in recent years has certainly played a role in becoming intolerant. Moreover, and this can play a major role in communities, a conversation from person to person about how and why is no longer possible. Everyone has the right to their privacy and we accept that and if it doesn’t work, we call in the police, housing or neighborhood coordinator.
Part of a community
No matter how you look at it, we are part of a community and that has advantages and disadvantages. If you have neighbors, it is not surprising that you sometimes hear them. Of course there are limits, but a child who turns up the radio to a favorite song is very normal, just like a barking dog (as long as that does not continue all day long). But a party is also part of life, so it might be nice to let someone know.
Sensitive
It goes without saying that there are also people who have more than normal sensitivity to sound and while one person can still sleep with loud music at the neighbors’ house, another lies awake at a squeaking door. Strictly speaking, you cannot change that and the standard in terms of sound is average.
If you are above average sensitive to noise, you sometimes have to go to breakneck speed to achieve the required silence. If you are above average sensitive to noise, you may have difficulty with limited noise around you when you are concentrating on a book, studying, etc. But also if you wake up quickly from noise and if the sound of a motorcycle passing by is already is experienced as disturbing.
What can you do about it?
That is difficult, because in some cases not much. It goes without saying that if you have neighbors, you will hear them sometimes. If you can’t handle that at all, then you will really have to live somewhere where there are no neighbors or where there is a lot of open space between the houses. After all, in the average neighborhood you hear the sounds of neighbors more or less often.
Moreover, living outside has its own kind of filter, after all you seek out the hustle and bustle and the noise when you feel like it (on a terrace, shopping, visiting, etc.) and at home it is the peace that you get with your hypersensitivity to noise. likes it so much. Moreover, people who are not specifically hypersensitive to noise are increasingly seeking the silence outside. If only to compensate the hustle and bustle of work with the peace and quiet of home.
Get started yourself
If you cannot sleep because, for example, you work night shifts and it is noisier during the day than at night, you can try to make agreements about this with the neighborhood, but you cannot enforce it. Children must be able to play during the day and they simply cannot be silenced because the neighbor or woman happens to be on the night shift and has to sleep during the day. In addition to trying to make agreements about certain times, you should also pick up the towel yourself and consider the extent to which you can make your own space soundproof. You create the night atmosphere with darkness, so consider blackout curtains. See if you can attach extra insulation to the walls or otherwise sleep with earplugs. Sometimes it takes some getting used to, but the better caps really don’t allow any sound.
If noise makes it difficult for you to concentrate on studies, for example, isolate yourself. Find a quiet room that has silence (if necessary an attic room), make sure it has good ventilation and do some exercises to improve your concentration. Sometimes meditating for a few minutes before you start also helps. If you exercise regularly, this will increase your concentration and help block out certain noises. However, if you are very sensitive, it won’t shut everything down.
Finally
It often has to do with tolerance and we do not accept each other for who we are, with all the pluses and minuses that come with that. However, if you are really sensitive to noise, it can be hell if nothing is done. Fortunately, you can at least partly control that process yourself.