Sounds Attacking Me

by Erin
(Missouri)

I'm 26 years old and living in an apartment with a roommate. Most of the time, I can deal with the constant noise and clutter, since I was raised in worse conditions, but when I get stressed, I can't cope anymore. Right now, the neighbors are redoing their apartment, the bird outside is making noise like a car alarm, the fridge is ticking, the roommate is aggressively rolling her mouse wheel, and the fish tank is bubbling, and it all feels like it's physically attacking me!

There's nowhere quieter that I can go, and I can't afford noise-cancelling headphones. This morning, I couldn't get out of bed. I literally could not move because of the noise. I don't know what to do and I feel like I'm about to go insane.