How do I remedy a loud shared hallway entry door and my own entry door? When other people’s doors open and close, my door is affected; my door will shake and make loud noises while the other doors are opening and closing. I know that I can somehow remedy my door, but how do I remedy a shared door? What kind of remedy do you advise for both doors? I live in an apartment on the sixth floor. Our build has really long hallways and entry doors are also facing each other. Thanks so much!

Hannah P., Framingham, MA

Hi Hannah,

Thank you for submitting a question to Q&A Sunday. I’m sorry to hear that you’re having a hard time with your neighbors in your apartment building. Doors in feng shui represent the mouth of the home’s inhabitants, so if you have a lot of loud doors, that can mean you have a lot of people talking and potentially arguments. This can be very disconcerting, disorienting and maybe even stressful for you.

Unfortunately, this is more of a mundane question, and you can’t really change anyone else’s door. As you’ve acknowledged, you can certainly work with your own door, but not the doors of others. You could ask to pay to fix the hallway door, but otherwise, this isn’t really something you have control over. There is no feng shui remedy for this sort of situation, because you can only work with your own energy first. You’re responsible for yourself, and no one else is responsible for you.

One option here would be to move, but that likely isn’t the solution you’re looking for. Alternatively, you could befriend your neighbors, which is probably the best course of action. If you get to know your neighbors, who are probably sensitive to the same situation, perhaps you can work together to create a solution. In Buddhist philosophy, you can view a challenging situation like this as an opportunity to use what you have and grow. This is a very challenging situation, and you’ll have to find creative ways to work together with your neighbors in this shared space and find a solution with the help of others.

With regard to feng shui here, you could activate the Benefactors area of your home to attract more helpful people and so that you and your neighbors can help each other. Many people want to activate the Benefactors area so that they can find helpful people in their lives, but don’t forget that this involves you being a benefactor as well!

Good luck, and let us know how it turns out!

by Anjie Cho