Does Stress / Anxiety Literally Worsen Tinnitus?

Simple question, but somehow this distinction seems to get lost in translation.

Does anxiety make the experience of having tinnitus more stressful, WITHOUT any effect on its volume?

Or does tinnitus LITERALLY make tinnitus louder?

 

I understand it may be both.

 

If you read through the core of threads on TT what is the common theme? Fear and anxiety. A recurrent thread running through almost each post where the OP is struggling. What is the worst thing you can do in your life? Live in fear. There are many phases to tinnitus. First, what just happened to me and will it kill me? Most find out, no tinnitus doesn't cause death. Then everybody goes through the freak out phase of learning there is no finite cure. More anxiety. Can I live with this? Then you find out you can. But many stop short of acceptance and tip toe through life like tinnitus is an angry monster easily provoked. It turns into a self fulfilling prophecy...a sad credo. Instead, live your life as before. If loud noise is the boogie man, then carry ear plugs around like I used to when riding my motorcycle. Many with normal hearing wear protection in times of high ambient noise including me before I contracted tinnitus.

The literature seems to suggest a common link between emotion and what precipitates tinnitus initially...perhaps even changing the neural pathways over a long period creating tinnitus. Anxiety. Living a life of fear. Seems like there are a lot of fearful OCD types on forums like this. Almost afraid of their shadow. Psychology suggests at the end of the day, maybe each of us is a prisoner of our brain chemistry and have no free will. You can't choose your personality nor the level of boldness or fear one lives their life. But being aware of this dynamic helps. So once working through the initial stages of tinnitus, choose to live life boldly and on your terms and without fear. Only difference now if you have the companion of noise which most can adjust to with time.