What to say to a neighbor whose dog won’t stop barking

Plus: Try a sunset reset  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌

Mandy Oaklander | November 06, 2026     Disputes with neighbors can be some of the hardest to solve. How do you tell someone you live next door to that, for instance, their yapping dog is keeping you up at night? If that’s your issue, my colleague Angela Haupt has you covered. She polled experts of all breeds about how to talk to your neighbor when their dog won’t stop barking. Read on for the script you can keep in your back pocket. TODAY’S TOPICS The human touch The “ghost therapist” network A sunset reset Walk this way A ruff conversation Why care keeps costing more         QUICK CHAT Proof of sweat I've always thought a handwritten card was one of the nicest things you could give someone. But now that AI can write a perfectly lovely birthday message in seconds, how do you know whether the person who sent it actually wrote it?  I recently interviewed Erica Dhawan, author of the forthcoming Use Your Brain, about how AI is changing the way we communicate. She told me she thinks voice notes and phone calls are making a comeback—and introduced me to a new phrase: “proof of sweat.” —Angela Haupt This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity. Olga Pankova—Getty Images You have a phrase I love: “Proof of sweat.” What does that mean? It's evidence that a human was in the room. When you're writing a birthday card or working with a team, how do you show that you actually put thought into it? It might be a specific memory, like remembering when someone's mom picked you up when you were 16, or an inside joke that only the two of you would understand. Why do you think that's becoming more important? Writing is cheap now. AI can generate these beautiful, polished messages, but people can tell when something doesn't sound like you. I interviewed a woman who went to a 70th birthday celebration for her mom. Ten people had written tributes, and five of them sounded exactly the same. She knew they'd used ChatGPT. Is that why you think voice notes and phone calls are making a comeback? Yes. One way people are showing proof of sweat is by sending a 90-second voice note instead of writing something. I think phone calls and voice notes are coming back. What's a simple way to make a message feel more personal? Think about what you know that nobody else knows. What memory do you have with this person? What's something that only you could say? That's the kind of detail that shows someone you actually care.         SPONSORED BY GLADLY.AI “Running shos” shouldn’t return zero results. Gladly understands what your shoppers mean, typos and all, and finds the right products. See how it works         TODAY I LEARNED There are huge “ghost networks” of mental-health providers Eoneren—Getty Images It’s hard to find a therapist, and even harder to find one covered by your insurance. One reason is that insurance providers are supposed to have a directory of providers who accept that insurance—but many directories are outdated or inaccurate. A new study in JAMA Health Forum used a secret shopper to make more than 5,000 calls to psychiatrists and psychologists listed in commercial insurance carriers’ directories. It found that only 24% of those calls resulted in a scheduled appointment—the goal with every call in the experiment—while 56% of the listings had directory errors. —Alana Semuels         SPONSORED BY BEZEL Unlock up to $2 million licensing your company data Have a business larger than 20 people that lives on Slack and is older than a year? Companies like Micro1 want to pay $100k - $2 million to license your data. They anonymize it and then use it to train the next set of frontier AI models. Get an estimate here         HOW WE RELAX Stop and watch the sunset Alana Semuels I have long thought that the best part of a sunset isn’t the act of watching the sun go down, but rather watching the sky turn unexpected and amazing colors afterward. It’s been much easier to catch a glimpse of those colors since the end of Daylight Saving Time, because the sunset—which now happens around 5 p.m. where I live in New York—coincides with the time I’m often driving along the Hudson River to pick up my daughter from daycare.  I’ve tried to catch the sunset and the coinciding sky glow this week before daycare pickup. I find that it resets my perspective and gives me a sense of awe that I might have missed on an otherwise busy day. —A.S.         SPONSORED TIME100 Most Influential Companies is expanding TIME100 Most Influential Companies 2027 entries are now open. With new Exceptional Workplaces categories, the TIME100 Companies publication is expanding to recognize businesses pioneering new approaches to how people work, from flexible and hybrid work to technology integration and career development.  Because it’s no longer just what you do, but how you do it.  Submit your company.         WORTH THE HYPE? Walking backwards is worth it Photo-Illustration by TIME; Getty Images Want to get more out of your walk? Put it in reverse. When I tried backward walking, my lower legs started burning after about 50 steps. Physical therapists say the switch-up challenges muscles differently than your usual stroll and can help improve balance and coordination. It may help ease knee pain, too. The verdict: Worth a spin, even if you attract some funny looks. Start slowly in a clear, flat space, ideally with a buddy who can be your eyes. —A.H.         TIME TO TALK What to say to a neighbor about their barking dog Photo-Illustration by TIME (Source Image: Anita Kot—Getty Images) Your neighbor’s dog has been barking for hours. How do you address the issue with someone you’ll have to see every day? —A.H. Lead with specifics Try: “I’ve been waking up because your dog is barking around 6 a.m. I realize you may not know. Could we figure something out?” Share exact times instead of saying it happens “all day.” If they get defensive Say: “I know dogs bark, and I’m not expecting total silence.” If nothing changes, document the barking and contact your landlord, building manager, or homeowners association. Read the full story here.         WHAT WE’RE READING Why is Gen Z obsessed with a past it never knew? Zara Abrams at APA’s Monitor on Psychology explores the surprising appeal of nostalgia. An interview with professor Anna Sinaiko at Harvard’s T.H. Chan School of Public Health looks at why health care costs are continuing to rise. Speaking of neighbors…how neighborly is too neighborly? Georgina Lawton at the Guardian explores a couple’s disagreement over getting involved in neighbors’ drama.       More Newsletters from Click to sign up. THE BRIEF +FUTURE PROOF +INSIDE TIME +IN THE LOOP +WORTH YOUR TIME + Subscribe to TIME Email us: healthmatters@time.com Received this from a friend? Sign up here Connect with TIME PRIVACY POLICY   © 2026 TIME USA, LLC. All rights reserved. TIME Customer Service, P.O. Box 37508 Boone, IA 50037-0508, United States Unsubscribe