If you touch a hot pan, you’ll yank your hand away instinctively. Incessant noise makes you feel just as compelled to react but you have nothing to yank away.
Be mindful that noise will set off the best of us. Yourself included.
Of course that doesn’t justify flipping out and attacking someone that’s making noise. Instead it should help you understand why you’re compelled so that you can be vigilant to watch your Ps and Qs.
So what can you do about it?
Sometimes it helps to watch what is causing the noise. To see the people in this case, drilling, working hard to remove the bricks in the picture above. Having an explanation for the cause of the noise can help. Especially when it’s short-lived.
You can reflect and perhaps laugh at how interesting it is that in the absence of noise you wouldn’t feel so disturbed. Perhaps you would even feel lonely.
You might be able to adjust your schedule to do something else. To avoid the noise. What have you been putting off? Maybe a haircut? Maybe go out for lunch with a friend?
What benefit might the noise afford? For example, it served as an excellent photo for my blog today to explain yet another aspect of how the mind works.
Maybe inquire about how long the noise will last and plan accordingly.
Can you put on some headphones and listen to music?
Noise as I said disturbs the best of us. So, all you have to do is disturb the noise for it to no longer have an affect on you.