Volunteers for Habituation Support?

[emily-anne]

I know it's unlikely that people who have truly habituated would stick around here much, but does anyone who has completely habituated (to the point that they no longer think about tinnitus at least 90 percent of the time) want to volunteer to be my habituation support? As in I just need someone who might be available to respond to messages when I am feeling particularly negative about habituation or my progress or even if I'll ever get there.

I want to hear from someone who has habituated and be able to have a resource when I'm sure that talking to my parents or my partner for the hundredth time isn't going to make me feel any better.

Does anyone here have a buddy that they do this with? I'm pretty desperate, and tired of feeling misunderstood by my doctors, therapist, and family members. They all have good intentions but.. I feel if I'm ever going to move forward I need to directly speak to people who have genuinely habituated. My dad has tinnitus, but it never bothered him at the onset. He was just one of those people that was unbothered from the start.

Thanks to anyone who would be willing to talk.

 

[HootOwl]

While I haven't habituated I can always lend a shoulder of support if you need it. Feel free to message me if you're feeling down. There are many amazing people here who can do the same.

 

[Jeebs]

Hey there. I'm having tinnitus for just over three months, so close to you. No, I have NOT habuated at all. If however, I can do anything to you, even if it is only chatting to you via PM, give me a message! All the best wishes out for you!

 

[fishbone]

Some folks can habituate faster and for some it might be harder to do. It all depends on the person. The first thing that one should work on is to reduce the scanning and observation/ listening to the ringing. Habituation is a gradual thing, it can take time and lots of patience(took me a good amount of time and patience as well). This is, one of the hardest part for those that recently just got tinnitus. It takes time and support to deal with this.

I wish you luck in your journey

 

[Hotspur2931]

Hi @emily-anne,
I'm not sure I can really offer that support in this stage of my own tinnitus journey, although I'd really like that sort of support for myself!

I'm a little bit further ahead than you – I don't feel I'm anywhere near habituation yet but I'm doing a fair bit better in terms of coping. Things like sleep, concentration and ability to enjoy life have all improved a lot. I STRONGLY recommend that you measure your progress in terms of these things rather than in terms of your perception of your tinnitus. These are the things that ultimately matter after all. And focusing on these things rather than the tinnitus itself will help you habituate quicker.

Also even if you don't find a one-on-one support buddy, remember that that is what this board is for. You can always post on here when you're feeling down – I have done that sometimes and people have always rallied round and helped me to feel a lot better.

I know therapists can be annoying if they don't understand, but maybe keep trying a few different people. One person that I see has tinnitus herself and is fully habituated. Just spending an hour a week in her presence and seeing how totally fine she is does wonders for my state of mind. I also found CBT quite helpful - my CBT therapist didn't know a whole lot about tinnitus but he had worked with people suffering from chronic pain, and there are a lot of similarities.

Hang in there, it gets better.