I have windchimes on my front porch and also on my upstairs balcony. I love them, but if they bothered my neighbors, I'd take them down. I even asked one neighbor if my front porch chimes bothered him and he assured me he couldn't hear them unless he was in our yard. I think if the LW asks nicely, her neighbors will respond in kind.

LW2: You need desensitization therapy. Get a job at a wind chime factory.

Doesn't it occur to the letter writing that THEY are the one that is "broken" and, instead of expecting the rest of the world to cater to their handicap, and allow it to restrict their life, that they should fix themselves?

Phobia's ARE treatable, however, sadly, once someone develops one, it's easy for them to add another phobia, then another, until they are trapped inside their house with no life.

As a teen I developed a pretty wicked social anxiety and, for 2 years would not answer the phone in our home because I feared talking to someone I didn't already know. I became more and more depressed until I came to the realization that I was not ever going to have a "life" if I didn't do something.

So... I wrote down everything that scared the crap out of me and forced myself to do at least two things on the list every week. Cold sweats, nausea, and anxiety are only temporary symptoms and you DO develop a comfort level when you expose yourself to your fears over and over again and realize that... hey!... nothing bad actually happened!

There are plenty of safe, non addictive drugs and even supplements that can also help and there are plenty of people who spent a good deal of money getting college degrees so they can help people like us. They are called "Doctors" and can be found in the yellow pages.

Now I make my living in sales and public speaking and one of my favorite things to do is to travel... alone.

Sara, you GO, GIRL! Your advice was right on the money. I hope the LW reads at creators.com and gets to see it.