Another Good Month

[marqualler]

I'm almost 5 full months into having T, but I am not letting it stop me from doing things I love. Tonight I attended a very loud and very memorable basketball game in Minnesota (Kevin Garnett's return to Minnesota) and, with earplugs in, paid no attention to my T whatsoever. I'm sitting at home now rewatching the game on my laptop and hardly even noticing my T at all. I have definitely felt like my T is getting lower and lower the last couple months, but moreso I have come to accept that having at least some level of T might be my reality, but it doesn't stop me from being myself and enjoying life. THIS IS EASIER SAID THAN DONE! I just want to stress that, that getting to this point was HARD and PAINFUL and one of the hardest things (no, THE hardest thing) I've ever done. But in the process I have learned a lot about myself, about how brains work, and have really gotten a lot better using cognitive behavior therapy methods to make myself better. Just last night, my wife and I had a rough night with the kid in my avatar waking up and not wanting to go back to bed. In instances like that, along with T, a kid screaming at you and feeling like the world is going to collapse on you, having the CBT skills is incredibly vital and helps me a lot.

In short, there *is* life after T, and I encourage you all to push yourselves to do things that you are afraid to do--the more you do, the less you'll care about your T.

 

[Mark K.]

Aloha:
What CBT skills do you use on a daily basis? Or when you need to during stressful moments?

Mark K.

 

[marqualler]

Hi @Mark K. --

The main thing I try to do when I'm feeling really down the "rabbit hole" of negative thinking is to write those thoughts down on paper and then look at them, then write down things that counter the negative thoughts. ex. If I start thinking "Tinnitus has ruined my life and I'm no longer the happy-go-lucky person I once was", I write it down on paper & write something down like "Yesterday I played with my son and showed him a funny new thing, so that is not true." Generally for me, doing that can stop from anxiety snowballing into something worse.

 

[Mark K.]

Thank you for that information, I will definitely try it. But do you do any daily practices to help you with your habituation? For example, listen to Sound Therapy for a few hours a day, or practice a CBT skill you have learned on a daily basis?

 

[Chelles]

So happy to read this I love positive threads!! Thanks for the update!

 

[marqualler]

@Mark K. -- not really anything else, other than I have soft music playing at my desk (I work in a very quiet office) and I try to push myself to do things that take me "out of my head" -- I have found the more I've done that, the more I find myself ignoring the T throughout the day.

 

[billie48]

Congrats on your success story. Yes, I agree CBT is a big help. I did self-help CBT similar to you by writing down all the distorted thought and counter them with more realistic & positive ones. I used to have WORD documents full of such countering and I would read then as often as I could. The countering stops the brain from falling further into the mental blackhole t has plunged us into. It also stimulates us to think more positively of our situation.

 

[Sailboardman]

Marqualler,

That's a good place for you to be in! I'm sure your son invokes many hours of relaxation, although tough nights sleeping through it all. However, distraction is our best friend and positive thoughts increase our level of self awareness. There are so many other facets of life, that can be enjoyed. Mr. T is only one part of it. Yes, a very demanding part, but just one part out of thousands.

In fact, I just had a talk with my brain and said, "you know, you and I had a great life and enjoyed every day with vigor and enthusiasm, before Mr. T. If you want to stay locked up in this mental torment, I strongly suggest you'll regret it the rest of your life and you'll live that life, without me. You see brain, I'm controlling you, so let's just shut down the noise and not worry so much. I'll let you know when there are things out there, that need our attention and concern. Just relax and let's do the things we use to. Take down the red flag and let's enjoy life again!"

God Bless,

Sailboardman