Hello everyone, I know this is a very old topic, and I'm not sure what the rules are for reviving threads, but I felt like this was the best place to post. I want to give an update.
I don't want to leave this topic behind as a source of negative energy. Reading posts about people going through hard times really did not improve my situation years ago. In fact, I think reading the internet was kind of traumatizing. Positivity and succes stories are very important. And they are out there.
I think I've done it. I've reached habituation. After more than three years of struggling and going up and down I feel like I've finally stabilized. The tinnitus is still there and so is the hyperacusis. Although, the hyperacusis is much less than in the beginning, some days even completely gone as long as I avoid loud noise and stress. Most of the physical pain is gone. The tinnitus' volume is roughly the same, some days worse, some days better, but the way I am coping has drastically improved. It all feels less intense now.
The way I learned to manage it is nothing new really. It's advice people already give. Psychotherapy to improve my overall mental health, a healthier lifestyle with a better diet and more exercise, better posture, stopped clenching my jaw and grinding my teeth, massages, eliminating factors of stress as much as possible. I stopped reading tinnitus boards and webpages. I stopped giving tinnitus as much attention and stopped it from being the center of my life.
Things that have helped me a lot are meditation and mindfulness, and looking into things like Buddhism and spirituality. These things are not for everyone, but apparently they are for me. I opened my mind and found relief.
Before I didn't believe in things like meditation, even though I had given it a shot. Things just didn't click. I even refused to do Tinnitus Retraining Therapy because I thought it was a bunch of nonsense. But it's not.
Through meditation I've improved my overall well-being and learned to accept tinnitus as a part of my life. Now it is one of the many automatic sensations in my body that I have no real control over. It's neither good nor bad, it simply is. Sometimes it suddenly spikes and demands attention, but I let it do its thing without agonizing over it and then eventually it goes down again. Like the sudden rapid beating of my heart, it can be startling, but there is no real harm and nothing is permanent. I try to focus on my breathing and let it pass through me. Meditation has eliminated most of my mental suffering.
Until there's a pill or treatment that will literally make the ringing stop, the above mentioned things will keep me stable. I feel like I was in a constant state of fight-or-flight and now I am no longer.
I wish you all the best. When you're going through a rough time, try to remember, you are not alone. We're in this together. And tinnitus is not the end.
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