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As you get a bit older, you’re gonna learn something very important…

Some people are a bit crazy and, if you happen to be their neighbor, you’re gonna have to find a good way to deal with them.

Sure, it’s easier than it sounds, but that’s life!

And nobody ever said it was gonna be easy…

Check out what this woman had to say about a Neighbor From Hell who is driving her up the wall.

Coping with my Neighbor From Hell, but I wish I could forget she exists!

“My (40s, F) Neighbor From Hell (NFH) is a woman in her 60s who lives across the street from me.

The road between us is a narrow suburban one and both our houses are on the corners with a mostly mirrored floor plan, so my dining room window faces hers, kitchen window faces hers, etc, in addition to the back and side yards.

For about a year and a half now I’ve been aware that she’s been opening her windows or stepping outside to yell stuff at me and take pictures of me every time I go outside or open a window on that side of the house.

What?!?!

It was probably going for a long time before I realized it, because I initially thought she was just arguing with someone on the phone.

Once I realized it was very specifically targeted at me I had a real ‘am I schizophrenic?’ fear until my partner confirmed it was real!

Most of her commentary is inappropriate and revolves around my physical appearance, specific body parts, relationship, accusations that I’m soliciting random men by working in the yard, asking me to smile/wave for the camera and her ‘audience‘ online, all the things she says she can see inside my house, and so on.

This is bizarre.

She keeps it going for as long as she can see me, half an hour at a time or more.

Toward my partner (40s, M), she was initially just opening her windows to watch him and take pictures. After a few times trying to talk to her, she started yelling at him too.

Now what?

So, how to cope?

Strategy 1:

I started off by trying to avoid her, staying out of the yard and letting the weeds and hedges grow freely. Our driveway faces her house and there’s no street parking out front so unfortunately no way to avoid her gaze entirely.

My partner tried going to talk to her but she wouldn’t answer the door. He asked a few other neighbors what her deal is, and got some stories but no real answer.

She responded by pointing 3 or 4 cameras from her windows into ours and placing bare lightbulbs in each window, lit at all times. Anytime we went out to do anything, day or night, her response time became instant.

This feeling of being constantly watched is still causing me a lot of anxiety, distracting me from work and disrupting my routine.

Strategy 2:

This spring, she started sitting on the corner of her front porch facing my house for upwards of 8 hours every day, pulling up her phone camera and yelling her commentary at every opportunity.

My partner and I both went over to talk to her a few times at that point, and it was weird and frustrating but not helpful at all. I did conclude that she’s being nasty on purpose and is not just sick and unable to control herself but that’s about it.

Strategy 3:

Around August, the yard was getting atrocious. The grass was getting cut but nothing else. I explained to our nice neighbors exactly what was going on so they could also help keep tabs on the situation.

I got some hearing protection and started working away on the side yard in the afternoons while she is sitting out.

I get out the weed whip and work back and forth on all the sidewalk edges over and over just taking a bit at a time, clip all the hedges progressively and make piles and rake the piles back and forth, rake little bits off the sidewalk, set up traffic cones on the lawn for no reason. basically getting the work done but in a very annoying and inefficient way.

My partner has joined in by pushing the mower around to random spots, mowing a bit, moving again, mowing the sidewalk. Making it funny has helped my mood a lot.

She’s still going!

She is still yelling but with the hearing protection I can occasionally just hear some “wah wah” sounds. if I glance her direction she’s usually taking pictures also.

Unfortunately the NFH still lives in my head rent free.

It’s fun thinking of petty ways to get on her nerves, but until I can find a way not to think of her at all, I fear she’s still winning. I’d rather just be unbothered!”

Reddit users shared their thoughts.

This person weighed in.

Another individual offered some advice.

This person spoke up.

If you enjoyed this story, check out this post about a homeowner who doesn’t care whether or not their neighbors hate their yard flamingos, because they aren’t subject to the HOA.

And another Reddit user shared their thoughts.

It’s pretty clear that her neighbor is unhinged…

No doubt about that!

And there’s really only one good solution…

She needs to completely ignore her neighbor all the time!