Dude I would have this conversation with my best friend and we've known each other for 25 years. You've known this person a few months! Tell them directly it's getting exhausting listening to them complain all the time.

The only reason why cutting them off is not an option is because you don't want to have the tough talk.

Every time you talk with them say, “Great! And I can’t wait to tell you about what I have going on!”

Listen like you do and then say, “Great! So here’s what I have going on…”

They’ll either become an equitable friend or they’ll go find easier prey.

They may not have many other friends because if their nature. You don’t have to be the “nice one” forever. One thing I know for sure: 1) they will not change; and 2) view this as practice. You’ll have other people and situations in your life where you’ll draw boundaries.

Them being a neighbor doesn’t mean you can’t cut them off. It’s time to start growing up and learning how to have uncomfortable conversations.

You are not required to be friends with anyone. There is a difference between being polite and being friendly.

The more you drag your feet on this, the more you become like them.

The way I engage with people who complain all the time to an annoying level is at first I just completely stop engaging when they start up again. Don't reply to anything, no "uh-huh's" or "wow, that's crazy" or other obvious signs that you're not interested in anything they're saying. Instead now I just hijack the conversation and always try to steer it to something else. If they're the type of person who will eventually bitch and moan about any topic you try and change the convo to, they I just start straight up calling them out: "Hey you're complaining again" or "you're doing that thing with your mouth that sounds a lot like whining". If after all that, they still don't make a conscious effort to change their behavior, then just cut them off completely. Not worth the time and effort, especially if you've only known them for a few months. You might not realize this until your 30's, but the sooner you cut people out of your life that only cause/want to talk about drama all the time, the happier you will be. You have enough shit to worry about already with your school, your family, and your job, etc....

No one is entitled to your time and energy. The fact that they consider you a close friend does not override how you feel about them. You are party in this too, and your perspective matters just as much. Do not let them bully you into being their friend if you don't really want to be.

And even if you do want to be their friend, set some healthy boundaries. Talk to them and tell them how you feel, gently. If they react poorly and think you're an asshole for it, they weren't really your friend anyway - you were just their emotional punching bag. Maybe they will learn something from it. People grow and mature by learning from mistakes.

So what if they live next to you? The occasional awkward pass in the hallway is not as bad as getting your energy drained for several hours a week. They'll get over it.

Do not let people steamroll you like this. This is how you get into one-sided relationships. Please, please, please, value your time and mental energy more than that. You deserve it. Anyone deserves it.

You owe them nothing…and you already know that you mean NOTHING to them…..This is so much easier that you’re letting it be.

You can start a slow fade. Learning to set boundaries is learning