Humans are wired to their environment; this connection happens naturally and influences our thoughts, emotions, and behaviors. The environment we live in determines so many things about us, and it’s one of the reasons I’m always careful with the places I settle in. Even if a place can’t change some things about me, I can’t be sure it won’t affect my mental health negatively.
It’s different when you’re completely in control of your environment, but when it’s the other way around, coping can be a huge struggle. My previous environment was one of the best places I’ve lived in. With fewer than 10 houses on the street, we had less activity and noise. Neighbors went about their daily activities without causing problems, and life was good for me there. As someone who spends a lot of time at home, I didn’t mind staying indoors for a whole week.
But things changed when old tenants left and new people moved in, bringing behaviors I found inconveniencing. Noise became something I had to struggle with, and it wasn’t good for me. I’ve mentioned before that coping in a noisy environment doesn’t work for me—it leaves me in a state where I can’t think properly or deliver as I should. I find it very uncomfortable, and it’s one of the reasons I stay indoors when I don’t have important tasks outside.
The noise didn’t just affect me; other tenants felt it too. Every effort to bring these culprits to order failed. I remember a night when I was forced to turn off a neighbor’s power generator past 2 a.m. because my wife was complaining about a severe headache. We don’t have a generator house, and people just leave their generators scattered everywhere. I use mine too, but not past 9 p.m., because I know the noise could disturb someone else.
My action led to a huge argument that night because I was so mad and didn’t care what would happen. Unfortunately, the landlord, for reasons best known to him, couldn’t make the right judgment, and the problem continued until I left the place. That incident ended my relationship with a few people because I can’t pretend to be happy with someone when I’m not.
Dirt was another big issue I couldn’t overlook. It forced me to do extra cleaning, even though our cleaners came twice a week. Sometimes, I picked up litter or cleared grasses, but people felt unconcerned. There were times I decided not to bother, but cleanliness for me doesn’t end inside my apartment—it extends to my environment as well.
The strong connection I have with my environment causes mood swings whenever something changes. When it’s a positive change, I don’t have issues, but when it starts messing with my mental health, it affects me deeply. What draws me to places I’ve lived in Lagos is cleanliness and quietness. These things elevates my mind and help me stay functional at any time of the day.
My current environment blesses me with these things and more. Nature thrives here too unlike my previous environment so that's a plus for me. I love having trees around, a clear view of sunrise and sunset from my apartment. Life is a lot beautiful around nature. I don’t know how long all these will last but for now, I pray to have my own space—somewhere I can control and shape into what I want.