Noise anxiety

[PeggySue92]

Hi all, this is my first time posting and I suffer from noise anxiety.

My noise anxiety only exists in my own home, I work in a noisy office environment and this is not a trigger at all. In the past we have had noisy neighbours, air-con units, loud music etc all causing me to think about when the noise will happen again and this causes me to worry about constantly. Even to the point of missing out on enjoying things because I need to try and control situations.

At the moment we are in our own house and the neighbours have a dog that barks ALL THE TIME. It’s sensitive to everything and anything and is causing me anxiety because we cant go out to our backyard without being aggressively barked at. The issue has been brought up with the neighbours and they are aware that the barking is disturbing me and my family but not a lot has been done.

I'm tired of worrying and thinking the worst of what ‘might’ happen.

I'd like to hear from anyone that suffers the same type of anxiety and if they have tips on how to deal with it.

Thank you.

[Sophie_M]

Dear Sarge77,

Thanks for finding the courage to post about your struggles with this instant internal rage. Discussing it can help you find a better internal space.

We understand that noise anxiety can be quite confusing. We can start feeling like we have no control and everything is there specifically to upset us. As we continue convincing ourselves that this internal perception is fact, rather than a position, and we focus more and more on our distress at being out of control of the situation, the more we feel justified in our internal rage.

We would like to encourage you to talk to your GP about these experiences. Your GP may be able to help determine if there is a physiological cause for the heightened sensitivity. If so, a treatment plan might be developed. If not, a mental health plan might be discussed.

Contacting one of the support lines, like Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636, or Lifeline on 13 11 14, both of which run 24 hours per day, may help you pull yourself out from the rage and back into a healthier emotional space.

Warm regards,

Sophie M.
 

[julzy]

Hi All,

Been a long time sufferer and what I'm finding is we are trying to control situations that are not in our control. We need to realise that life isn't fair and bad things happen to good people, but always remember that nothing is permanent, just like good times end, so do the bad times, so please keep your head up and move on. Realise that these situation are given to you to grow and no matter what one day you will grow. God bless and good luck

[SirTed89]

Hello

I have the Same thing with the neighbours dog barking one day i yell shut up i didn't hear the dogs then i used to hear them in the mornings and then not all not at night now i hear them at night not all night but once or twice and my nerves are bad and don't want to do or eat i wish i had not have yell once shut up i don't know what to do. 😞

[mmMekitty]

Hello SirTed89

If you are able to have a reasonable conversation with the dog's owner, explaining, at the very least, the barking is disturbing your sleep, then maybe you can resolve at least some of the problem.

For the daytime, you might like to have noise cancelling headphones handy.

There are limits to how much dogs may be allowed to bark, but I'm no expert on this, so I'd suggest contacting your local government about the issue if it is still a problem.

Because a fact of life is we can't control what others, or their dogs do. The world is a noisy place, so finding ways to keep the peace within ourselves may be all we can do.

Practising some relaxation exercises, doing things that give you pleasure, & have a calming effect upon your body are things you can do for yourself.

Hugzies

mmMekitty

[Missy81]

I know this is an old post but I stumbled across it by chance today and was rather shocked to read so many others struggle with these issues. Only tonight am I feeling anxious due to loud bass thumping music by some campers up the road for the 10th hour straight….

I can relate to posts here that talk about being more bothered by the inconsiderate and sometimes aggressive intent behind certain noises over others. I have always been rather sensitive to noise , that’s a reality, but getting older, it’s getting worse and neighbour noise like loud music, motors etc are particularly troublesome. I tend to avoid situations or feel like a bit of a prisoner in my own home at times due to this , sometimes even becoming a bit obsessive about even sporadic or quieter noises from neighbours fearing it will evolve into something more unbearable as in previous times. It sounds ridiculous to myself to even say this to anyone else but reading other messages here, I have to say, despite me feeling badly anyone else suffers this way too, I feel also a bit relieved and comforted I’m not alone. 
I think I suffer from social anxiety more generally and can feel uncomfortable about being taken advantage of and not be able to assert myself confidently. Perhaps this combined with noise sensitivity makes this a real trigger, especially when I lose sleep because of it.

Anyway, don’t have any real simple solutions sorry other than manage what you can through strategies ( I find white noise often helpful) if the noise is “reasonable “ by most people’s standards or laws, otherwise , it’s fair to report it to authorities and see what can be done. From experience, moving house does not guarantee improvement and often follows you! Hang in there and share experiences here for others who share your pain . Thanks 😊