Is My Neighbor is Subtly Surveilling Me?

I’ve lived in my studio apartment for three years, next door to a couple. For the first two years, the usual noises—footsteps, muffled TV, music—never bothered me. This year, though, it seems like the male partner has been away for long stretches, and the apartment next door has been almost completely silent except for occasional movement from the woman who lives there.

For context, she has always seemed very socially withdrawn. She’s never acknowledged me unless her partner is with her, and even then her affect is very flat. I’ve seen her interact with other neighbors, but she has never greeted me or made eye contact when it’s just the two of us.

Since switching to working from home full-time, I’ve become increasingly aware of the sounds and vibrations in my apartment, especially movement through the floorboards. What’s unsettling is that her movements seem to consistently mirror whichever part of my apartment I’m in. For example, if I’m at my desk, I notice sounds from the same area on her side. If I move to another spot, the sounds seem to shift there too. It’s been repetitive enough that it’s starting to make me uneasy, and I can’t tell whether I’m becoming overly hyper-aware because I’m home more often, or if something genuinely odd is happening.

I’m not assuming anything about her, but the whole situation has been creeping me out and I’m not sure how to make sense of it. Has anyone experienced something similar? Am I reading too much into normal passive noise? Any suggestions on how to approach this would be appreciated.

Posted Dec 7, 2025, 11:42 PM UTC

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