Anxious About Tinnitus Even When It's Not Bad?

I'm a longtime tinnitus patient and have been used to it for years. However, even when everything is OK with it, I often catch myself being racked by anxiety that it will suddenly worsen, checking it, reading Tinnitus Talk and similar sites, and so on. It's like a "mild" case of PTSD - I just can't stop thinking about tinnitus and taking more and more measures to stop it from ever worsening again.

Does anyone experience something similar?

Any ideas on coping?

 

No advice to offer, but can tell you im in the same position. My T is bad, but it doesn’t stop the worrying about it worsening etc and isolating/changing behaviours to try and prevent this from happening

 

I'm exactly the same @hans799, it's exhausting. Not a day goes by that I don't worry it's going to get worse..

 

I think in time it will get better, as most things do. Try to focus on other things, do everything to ignore it as much as you can (i know it seems impossible to do). Trick your brain into doing other things and eventually it will be a habit. One thing i always tell myself: if it gets worse it will get worse whether I want it to or not, it is out of my hands.

 

The best solution is to stay away from tinnitus forums and try to divert your attention to other things of interest. If you find this difficult to do, I suggest you contact a Hearing Therapist or Audiologist who's trained in the treatment and management of tinnitus. Discuss your problem and hopefully some counselling will help put you on the path to stay away from tinnitus forums. In time you will learn to focus less on your tinnitus but this cannot be achieved by visiting tinnitus forums.

Michael

 

He has had tinnitus all of his life...

I do worry about tinnitus getting worse (and I act accordingly). I am glad that I am this way. I see it being similar to planning for retirement, or to never forgetting to think about safety (i.e., look both ways when crossing a street, don't eat food that hasn't been washed or that was left on the counter on a warm night, don't visit dangerous neighbourhoods at night, etc). The more time you invest into making something happen (or not happen), the more likely you are to achieve your goal.

 

I am the same, only time i dont think about it or get a breather is when im at work, then once its over i wonder if my day at work has made it worse. -Sigh- It never ends. There use to be a time when i didnt worry about it until it got worse.

 

I am experiencing something similar. Since my onset of tinnitus after a concert 6 months ago, it has been an up and down with my symptoms, but in the end it all got worse. First only tinnitus was my problem, then hyperacusis and TTTS appeared and now I also have phonophobia because my tinnitus is worsening from even moderate noise. I am struggling to keep everything alive (work, relationship), but it is really hard with all this anxiety. I feel like it would be best for me to wear plugs all the time, but I can't because they irritate my ear, cause facial/jaw pain and cause wax build-up. So everytime I am not wearing them and am exposed to a noise, I feel guilty because I think I'm a wimp for not wearing them. Sometimes I feel like throwing it all away and just sit in silence and darkness for a year or so and wait it all off... if that even helps.

It is the constant fear of worsening my symptoms for life because of a meaningless action like cutting my hair with a trimmer or taking out the trash without protection and a dog barks at you. Feels like navigating through a minefield every single day ... and once in a while you step one of those.

 

The way I see it that is not necessarily a bad thing, it keeps you vigilant and carefull .

I stopped being that after 4 years and I started getting more careless , trusting my doctor when he prescribed me drugs that eventually made it alot worse again , not once, but twice , so yea, it has up and downsides .

 

Snap!!! It’s impossible to switch off from this!!! Wish I knew how....

 

It’s an absolute catch 22 with this condition and so god damn frustrating!!!!!

 

@hans799 I think it is a very normal and very human reaction. People with other afflictions do the same. Unfortunately it doesn't help our mental health. If you find some comfort, carry on with the forums but you could try to cut down your time. Have a time-limit and make it shorter every day or week. Have a nice weekend.

 

My not very healthy, but workable solution is a big glass of red wine in the evening. Mellows me out beautifully.

 

If I find myself anxious and thinking about my tinnitus, I have to remind myself that it's perfectly fine to go back to old coping mechanisms even if I think I don't need it or should be past that by now. Usually that is to use the perfect masking I've found to blend with my tinnitus, have a fan and watch or listen to something that I enjoy. In that situation it's also great to talk to friends or look back at some memories, makes it really easy to settle and unwind.

If that mental side of relaxing doesn't work then doing some exercise or yoga or something to open up the muscles helps me out, then a nice hot shower afterwards and then find a way to chill out after. I find my anxiety towards tinnitus leads to a bunch of tension around my ears and jaw and neck, sometimes it's like I need to remind my muscles in those areas that it's ok to relax more and let go.

More often than not, as long as I'm distracted and absorbed, I'm rarely aware of my tinnitus in that moment.

 

That’s the best piece of advice!!! Perfect! Can’t beat a nice glass of red!

 

Hi there, I just found this forum today, have been looking around a little bit. I think I wont be back too often though as I'm finding I'm feeling the anxiety more, the more I browse around in here. It's nice to know I'm not the only one - and it's nice to know that the things I'm doing to help myself have all been mentioned above. I'll just add one more thing that helps me during the worst time at night - a podcast I discovered that helps me fall asleep. It's called Nothing Much Happens - Bedtime Stories for Adults. It's been my saviour. Hugs to all.

 

Welcome. TinnitusTalk is a mixed blessing - it is great to commiserate with likeminded people, and to read about the latest in research, but too much time here can indeed fan your anxiety. Over the last 4 years or so I've had several month-long bursts where I've been very active here, followed by months of almost complete abstinence. Find what works for you.