With the arrival of spring and summer, nuisance to local residents often increases. A bit of noise and commotion is of course part of life during summer days, but it is a different story when the nuisance is deliberately caused by the neighbors. There are a number of things you can do yourself to deal with this situation. For example, speak to the neighbors about their behavior, do nothing, try to relax with music, or move.
Contents
- Noise disturbance
- Do nothing
- Address the neighbors about their behavior at the time of the nuisance
- Address the neighbors about their behavior at a later stage
- Reward yourself, not your neighbors
- Call the police
- Make an agreement or…
- …otherwise just move
- Well-intentioned neighbors
Noise disturbance
There are people who believe that the world is theirs alone, and they would like to make that opinion known to the rest of the world by making a lot of noise in the summer, such as raising their voices a lot, playing loud music in the garden. , and intentional shouting. As a resident of a house, you often sense whether these neighbors are of good will or not. If the relationship with the neighbors is good, it does not matter if the neighbors enjoy their music every now and then, then you can have a lot of each other and make good agreements among themselves. But if high decibels are deliberately produced too often, local residents can become very annoyed. Noise pollution can be harmful to health; stress hormones are released from 50 decibels of noise. Here are some suggestions for dealing with intentional nuisance.
Do nothing
Earplugs, sometimes they are unfortunately necessary / Source: W:Light current, Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-2.5)
One of the options available during nuisance is to do nothing. At first glance this may seem like a somewhat weak and passive attitude, after all you believe that the neighbors are overstepping their bounds and that something needs to be said about this. So why is it good to do nothing? If the noise pollution from the neighbors is intentional, then every action you take is seen as a reward. This is how it works with dogs, responding to a puppy that barks is seen as a reward by the puppy and the barking will continue and intensify. Doing nothing, and therefore not taking action against the neighbors’ bad behavior, is in fact a response that the neighbors like least. Unfortunately, you will have to endure the noise pollution for a while, but you will save yourself the confrontation and that is good for your health. Remember that the neighbors also suffer from their own nuisance. If they turn off the music a little later, you have won twice; you can enjoy the peace and quiet again and you have not been carried away by the nuisance from the neighbors. In the meantime, you can report any nuisance yourself to the housing association (if you rent) or to the police.
Address the neighbors about their behavior at the time of the nuisance
If you immediately say something about the noise pollution at the moment it occurs, it could go in any direction. Addressing the neighbors can then be seen or interpreted by them as a violation of their alleged rights. This will not benefit the relationship with the neighbors (which was probably not good anyway). There is also the danger that, if If you immediately say something about the noise pollution, emotions will run high. This is not good for your health and it can even be unpleasant. In short, immediately saying something about the noise pollution often seems an attractive option, but this is not always the best choice. so be very thoughtful and reserved in this regard. If in doubt, do not do this, for example, first call the police for advice.
Address the neighbors about their behavior at a later stage
It may be a good option to confront the neighbors about their behavior at a later time. For example, if you encounter them in the street. If you calmly indicate that you have recently experienced noise pollution, you can achieve a good result. The neighbors do not immediately feel reprimanded at the moment. Obviously you don’t say that you think the noise pollution was intentional, so don’t make accusations. So make sure that you do not enter into a discussion in which you try to prove your point. In this situation, it is sufficient to briefly point out what bothered you, and then you are actually all set. The neighbors will probably not immediately agree with you and may come up with counter arguments, for example that they have also experienced problems from you. Give them that space, let it all wash over you calmly, remember that you have already achieved your goal; namely making known the fact that you have experienced a nuisance. If your complaint to the neighbors does not yield any results, then you have done what you could and it may be time to involve other authorities such as housing associations, neighborhood mediators or the police.
Reward yourself, not your neighbors
On holiday… / Source: Rawpixel, Pixabay
A good way to deal with intentional nuisance from the neighbors is to continue to work on all the positive things that bring you success. These may be small things or big things. This is how you reward yourself. Above all, celebrate your own successes. To do this, occasionally distance yourself from the nuisance as much as possible and, above all, do not always take everything too seriously. So instead of worrying about your neighbors again (by getting excited and thus rewarding them for their behavior), just start doing those things that make you feel good and satisfied. It also helps to listen to meditative sounds or music, so that your entire system and especially your mind gets the necessary rest. A weekend away can also be good.
Going on holiday or away for a weekend
Of course, going on holiday does not solve the problems and inconvenience, but taking a break can be good for your health. During (a short) holiday you often meet cheerful and cheerful people who, unlike your neighbors, are civilized and decent, this experience alone will be a relief. So you can distance yourself from the nuisance during a holiday and after returning you will notice that you have become a little stronger again.
Call the police
If tensions are very high, you can always call the police on 0900-8844 (no emergency, but police), where skilled police officers will be on the phone. You don’t even have to ask if they want to come, you can just have a discussion and let them know that the music is already loud again. It is often a relief to share your complaints, and who knows, the police themselves may offer to take a look. And perhaps the police can hear the noise while you are on the phone with them. If an emergency arises with the neighbors in which there is or threatens danger, 112 must be called (When every second counts).
Make an agreement or…
Source: Alexas Photos, Pixabay
Perhaps the best thing of all is reaching an agreement with your neighbors. Whether they were deliberately bullying you with their nuisance or not does not matter much anymore. Because once you have shaken hands, a kind of agreement is created, a contract in which everyone involved makes commitments and which they must then adhere to.
…otherwise just move
Of all the options, moving is one that you don’t want to think about right away, but sometimes you just have to acknowledge that a quiet place to live in the coming years with these noisy neighbors. You can experience it as a loss or a task by moving, but it also shows courage and courage by choosing yourself and your health and looking for a quieter place to live. Life isn’t meant to be about forever battling noisy neighbors, noise pollution is bad for your health, so your health will be ,happy, when you move.
Well-intentioned neighbors
Fortunately, there are plenty of well-intentioned neighbors. If these cause some noise pollution, it is usually because they need it as a break after a hard day’s work or something like that. You can probably always consult with them to make agreements about noise, but it is even more likely that you find their noise pollution less disturbing because you know that it is not intended to harass or deliberately cause a nuisance. If you have normal and nice neighbors, count your blessings and let them play the music a little louder every now and then, because then you can do the same!