MemberI did not feel like the same person I had been for quite a while when tinnitus hit me when I was 17. I went through some definite rough patches. Girls did not understand why I would wear ear plugs to movies or did not want to go to concerts with them.
You are still the same person who happens to have a bit of tinnitus. Hang in there. It hasn't killed me or ruined my youth in any way. It won't have that effect on you. You're experiencing some terrible anxiety from the sounds of it right now. Seeing an ENT is helpful to make sure no medical reasons exist for your tinnitus, but seeing a psychiatrist may help with some of the anxiety and depression.
I am serious. Hang in there and stay busy. Be with your friends as much as possible. Spend as little time as possible sitting around by yourself. That allows your mind to have all the time in the world to think about tinnitus and feel bad for itself. When I truly started feeling better was when I started hanging out with my friends again, going to parties and being normal. The hardest part of my early tinnitus days was the beginning when I would sit around alone and get caught up in a cycle of anxiety.
