littleoc
MyPTSD Pro
Hello! I am working on a project so this will be brief, but I couldn't concentrate with this issue in my mind. Even though I can't move out yet. But I thought, most of you have more experience than me and could help me out with this.
Why I didn't put this topic in "social": I have really weird triggers. I am afraid of getting eaten by a tornado, which is much less weird, but also I am afraid of flooding. Particularly flooding related to dirty water, which to my OCD brains also includes broken pipes and anything coming from a bathroom (especially the toilet). And also I'm afraid of someone breaking in and assaulting me in some way.
I would prefer to live in a rented house, so I can have a yard of my own. However, I'm not shunning apartments and may even benefit from starting with an apartment. They're kind of like dorms, after all, so I would feel more comfortable probably. And maybe have access to neat things like very-close-neighbors and pools and gyms or whatever. (But those aren't guarenteed.)
Anyway, if I had to pick a first floor or second floor in a two-floor complex, which option would be safer? (I don't believe there are three-floor complexes near me.)
What I'm worried about:
In a second floor apartment, I wouldn't have to worry about neighbors above me, which would be nice. Also, being on the second floor makes it a little harder for someone to break in, or even see into my apartment from the windows. Flooding would be much less of an issue too. If my toilet or a pipe broke and flooded, it would more than likely effect the neighbors below me rather than me. (I'm ignoring roof issues for this discussion.) Since I'd be at a higher elevation, an overflowed pipe would not backup into my apartment, but instead would back up into lower elevation apartments (which happened to me in a dorm room twice). In the summer and winter I would be warmer. (I prefer it cool.) However, in the event of a tornado warning, I would have nowhere to go. No apartments in my area are required to build tornado shelters. And so none have them.
So, that would make me want to have a first-floor apartment so that I would be better able to hide in the event of a tornado warning, and be able to be in control of getting somewhere safe without having to rely on others. (I wouldn't mind letting people in to huddle with me all night either.) I also won't have to carry my service dog up and down stairs on her bad knee days. My back (and my dog's dignity -- she HATES being carried) would like that. However, people would potentially be able to see into my apartment. No biggie, especially since once I move out of this hoarded house I won't have to hide the view from the outside world anymore. But I am so worried that in the night, someone will peak in and then break in. Apartment windows are notoriously flimsy around here. And I would be exposed to the possibility of a trigger relating to messed up pipes or flooding, which gravity would make more of a problem on the bottom floor. At my university, this was a major problem any time I was on the first (not not top) floors, except in one building. (I can't give information about the construction of the building because it is a historically significant building in the area, but I can say that it was built in 1887.)
Can someone provide feedback about my rational, and tell me if you would prefer a first floor or a second floor in a two-story complex based on these choices?
I'm going to try to locate reasonably priced house rentals, or an apartment complex that is only one floor. But I can't assume what my choices will be when I'm ready to move out, so I thought I would try to prepare now. If only so I can get my mind to focus on my project that's due at midnight tomorrow.
Tornado season always gets me overly worried about housing and how to be safe.
Why I didn't put this topic in "social": I have really weird triggers. I am afraid of getting eaten by a tornado, which is much less weird, but also I am afraid of flooding. Particularly flooding related to dirty water, which to my OCD brains also includes broken pipes and anything coming from a bathroom (especially the toilet). And also I'm afraid of someone breaking in and assaulting me in some way.
I would prefer to live in a rented house, so I can have a yard of my own. However, I'm not shunning apartments and may even benefit from starting with an apartment. They're kind of like dorms, after all, so I would feel more comfortable probably. And maybe have access to neat things like very-close-neighbors and pools and gyms or whatever. (But those aren't guarenteed.)
Anyway, if I had to pick a first floor or second floor in a two-floor complex, which option would be safer? (I don't believe there are three-floor complexes near me.)
What I'm worried about:
In a second floor apartment, I wouldn't have to worry about neighbors above me, which would be nice. Also, being on the second floor makes it a little harder for someone to break in, or even see into my apartment from the windows. Flooding would be much less of an issue too. If my toilet or a pipe broke and flooded, it would more than likely effect the neighbors below me rather than me. (I'm ignoring roof issues for this discussion.) Since I'd be at a higher elevation, an overflowed pipe would not backup into my apartment, but instead would back up into lower elevation apartments (which happened to me in a dorm room twice). In the summer and winter I would be warmer. (I prefer it cool.) However, in the event of a tornado warning, I would have nowhere to go. No apartments in my area are required to build tornado shelters. And so none have them.
So, that would make me want to have a first-floor apartment so that I would be better able to hide in the event of a tornado warning, and be able to be in control of getting somewhere safe without having to rely on others. (I wouldn't mind letting people in to huddle with me all night either.) I also won't have to carry my service dog up and down stairs on her bad knee days. My back (and my dog's dignity -- she HATES being carried) would like that. However, people would potentially be able to see into my apartment. No biggie, especially since once I move out of this hoarded house I won't have to hide the view from the outside world anymore. But I am so worried that in the night, someone will peak in and then break in. Apartment windows are notoriously flimsy around here. And I would be exposed to the possibility of a trigger relating to messed up pipes or flooding, which gravity would make more of a problem on the bottom floor. At my university, this was a major problem any time I was on the first (not not top) floors, except in one building. (I can't give information about the construction of the building because it is a historically significant building in the area, but I can say that it was built in 1887.)
Can someone provide feedback about my rational, and tell me if you would prefer a first floor or a second floor in a two-story complex based on these choices?
I'm going to try to locate reasonably priced house rentals, or an apartment complex that is only one floor. But I can't assume what my choices will be when I'm ready to move out, so I thought I would try to prepare now. If only so I can get my mind to focus on my project that's due at midnight tomorrow.
Tornado season always gets me overly worried about housing and how to be safe.