Anxiety from Tinnitus: How Have You Managed?

Thanks for your words! I am very happy that you achieved such a far-reaching habituation. I hope this will happen to me, too. Not having to think about and hear my tinnitus for 90% of the day would be a VERY big relief compared to how I feel today. I would be VERY happy with it.

What I can say, however, is that I have days (and more and more often?) when the noise doesn't bother me as much, seems less intrusive, and is more easily overshadowed by ambient noise, so I don't hear it.

 

Yes, I feel the same (as you once did). And it's really hard for me not to lose faith and confidence that sooner or later I'll be able to experience this, that my brain can tune out this noise and turn to so many other, much more beautiful things.

 

It took me almost five months to make any headway at all. About two to three weeks later, I started exercising and found that it helped me sleep better. I pushed myself harder and harder. I listened to talks and sometimes music while I exercised. It made just a little difference. When I started masking during the day, it helped me keep my mind off the constant sound. After I found a website where I could adjust masking sounds to my tinnitus frequency, I started sleeping a little better.

After about four months, I bought an elastic headband with integrated Bluetooth speakers. And if I woke up at night, I would use them to play white noise. It didn't get me back to sleep immediately, but it did help. I also had one person tell me that making yourself get outside and do the things you love helps, as it gets your mind off tinnitus. I have been pushing myself to get out of the house and ride my bike, play Pickleball, go for walks, etc.

My tinnitus has not changed, but my mind is changing.

 

Hello, @PennyCat, it's me again. Can I ask you another question?

As you said, last summer, you were still hearing your tinnitus over everything or focusing on it a lot, for example, when you were playing Skyrim. At this point, you were in for more than half a year - right?

At some point after that, you began to no longer consciously notice your tinnitus, first for short moments and then more and more often. Do you remember when that started and when you could tune out that noise 90% of the time?

You've already written something about this in one of your previous replies, but could you explain it in more detail?