It is too bad not all humans appreciate the beauty of silence. It is sad to know that some are too comfortable with noise that they either forget or do not care about honoring the peaceful existence of others around them.
Most of us have come across noisy neighbors who seem to need commotion in their lives to feel normal. To them, silence is a dark mystery hiding an evil that is waiting to get them. It is almost as if they believe they are saving our lives by playing their music at high volumes, running and stomping on the floor above you, or talking on their phones in public places with the speaker on.
Many of us want to kill these neighbors, or at least commit some type of retaliative act against them. But retaliation should never be the solution. The best way for introverts to deal with noisy neighbors is simple, just politely tell them to stop.
I know this is not new information. You may have researched online and read many articles providing this and other resolutions in dealing with noisy neighbors. However, it is important to understand how communication can be a vital tool in avoiding chaos.
Let’s use the typical example of the next-door neighbor playing their music too loud. You both live in an apartment and the walls are not as thick as one would hope. The music is played early in the morning and late at night during the designated quiet hours. The bass from the subwoofers is reverberating inside your home and keeping you from relaxing. You’ve seen your neighbor through the eye hole of your door when he comes home, and he appears intimidating. You hate meeting strangers and you fear confrontations, therefore, the first thoughts that come to your mind are, complain to the landlord, write a letter to the neighbor, or even call the police. These are considered safe tactics—although the third might be a little extreme. Nevertheless, confronting your neighbor face to face is the best solution.
Steps in Confronting Your Neighbor
*Remember, this is a greeting, as you are most likely meeting them for the first time. Eliminate the malice you may have for your neighbor and replace it with patience and kindness. Your neighbor is a human being and will extend the same level of kindness and courtesy back to you. Kindness is infectious. As humans, we are all good people, despite some of our wicked deeds or our subjectively uncivil appearances. Witnessing the goodness in other humans brings people together. It’s all about being friends, not enemies.
Step 1: Find an appropriate time during the day to walk over to your neighbor’s home to talk to them.
Step 2: Politely introduce yourself. If you are going to their home, knock gently on the door. No banging. Even loud rapping on the door can generate a combative vibe. When greeting your neighbor, make sure you are smiling. Simply tell them your name and where you live.
Step 3: Without frowning, explain the noise coming from their home.
Step 4: Explain how the noise is disrupting your way of living.
That’s it. Your neighbor will happily agree to turn down the music, and depending on the atmosphere, you both may find yourselves sharing a friendly conversation. But don’t worry, your neighbor most likely will not expect you to chat with them every day. Even if they are extroverts, they want to go about their days without having the burden of chatting with their neighbors, so it works out for everyone.
What Ifs
Of course, neighbors can make other distracting noises, but some noises may be unavoidable, such as toddlers running or crying in an apartment. Most of the time, the parent will be embarrassed about their child’s noises and sympathetic towards your stress. This is when you and your neighbor can formulate a compromise. It may not eliminate the noise, but you will understand your neighbor’s situation and realize he or she is a decent person with a soul. You may have even gotten the chance to meet the little one.
But what if the neighbor is not a pleasant person? What if they are rude, inconsiderate, unclassy rogues that don’t care about anyone except themselves? What if they tell you to F off after you graciously pleaded to them to tone down the disruptive noise? First, don’t let these types spoil your opinion of people. Don’t result in retaliatory tactics, such as making your own noises, vandalizing their yard, or defecating on their porch. If there is no reasoning with this person, you have my permission to inform the landlord or the police.
Making loud noises may not be their only way of disrupting your peaceful living. They may also leave trash in the yard or breezeway, refuse to mow their lawn, not tie their dogs in the yard or when they go for walks, or blind the neighborhood with their ridiculously bright Christmas lights. There is no reaching some people, which is why the proper authorities must take over.
We all have a right to a peaceful existence. Never sit idly by and allow the noise to disrupt your quality of living. It can brew unpleasant thoughts. It can increase stress levels. It can make you a bitter person.
In conclusion
Staying anonymous when reporting a noise disturbance may be the safe approach, but directly confronting the neighbor in a kind manner is rewarding to the soul. Learning more about the people around you will make you feel good and light. You will not be burdened with hate, which leads to stress, which ultimately leads to death. You will have contributed to making the community a pleasant place to live. When your soul has been rewarded, the noise will not feel as disruptive as you initially perceived.
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