Hi there Glynis
There is a lot you need to ask about first, also please read my story after. What do you think is the prime cause of your tinnitus? Brain trauma? Sound trauma? Sinus problems? There could also be problems with your neck and your bodily alignment.
My name is David Barber I'm an MMA fighter from WA state and I promise you I'm tough as steel. The day I first found out my tinnitus might not go away I freaked out and didn't know what to do. You are going to go through a lot on your path to recovering.
I won a cage fight but took a mean left hook during the fight. I also got sick on the same day with the flu, this KILLED my ability to locate my tinnitus problem. I was sure if I found a way to concentrate and go through therapy I could fix my self.
Here I am 2 years later and I am litearlly able to enjoy silence with minor flare-ups when I had SCREACHING tinnitus that would not stop to the point I'd cry randomly. I didn't cry about girls, money, physical pain or anything but this broke my very personality down. I was forced into survival mode for roughly a year when I had never held it for more than a sparring session. It's like throwing a baby into the middle of Chicago and leaving it there, I know. But you're going to make it through this.
First, understand that concentration is your prime weapon to defend your self here. When you hear the tinnitus don't pay attention to it. This is VERY hard to do. It's like someone pointing to a sign and going "hey don't look at that". You literally have to push your concentration to the point just how monks do when being hit by a cane while in meditation. You must MASTER I don't mean get good at I mean MASTER never being distracted for the rest of your life. You absolutely have to focus beyond that of which you have ever thought you could. You will not learn this focus all at once. The day I pushed my focus so hard that I literally cared about only my goals or nothing at all I learned how to dodge tinnitus whenever it showed up and I also learned many things about life and how stress is such a killer. After I learned that I could dodge tinnitus until my mind cleared fully the shock of (I just beat something no one ever beats) kicked in. I had proven to myself I don't quit. I stayed put psychologically for the first time in the most insane year of my life.
Positivity is not the thing making you feel better, it's a clear mind. When you are happy thoughts don't run randomly through your head and your body can relax that's why it seems to be positivity. Stay positive of course, but stack your focus to an almighty level.
The odds are something physically damaging happened to you and now you are fighting inflammation in that area or multiple areas. That's the case with almost everyone, more than one thing screwed up your hearing. physically recovering is like cracking a code using your body, because everyones cause is different.
Work on your focus, fix your body. I mean posture, breathing, your neck and jaw have a ton to do with sound translation to the brain, your spine needs to be aligned so the rest of your body is, your hips have a ton to do with it. Don't sacrifice good walking posture for anyone. Keep distracting people or anyone who is mean to you out of your life. I had to give up certain friends and I learned they were too stressful.
You're not god! If someone is constantly trying to stress you out you need to respect the danger there and remove that person from your life. IT'S FOR YOUR HEALTH!
I went through countless techniques and some failed me. But here I am almost completely free of tinnitus and well healthy enough to fight again. Keep your head in the game and if you have to let those ears ring then do. You must learn to focus through all forms of pain. It CAN be done but this will be a huge journey for you.
Best of wishes to you. Remember anxiety is only a state of mind. Learn how to stare fear right in it's face without blinking.