How Do You Guys Function at Work? Advice Please

Had tinnitus for 9 1/2 months too scared to return to work. How do you concentrate and act normal. I would need to tell everyone why l seem different, i.e. irritable. poor concentration. l have trouble functioning in a social situation since T. I feel anxious all the time, like l want to run away, from myself mostly. This is not my pre-T personality at all, was very outgoing and comfortable meeting people.
Advice please- how to deal with all those issues. I do not feel normal anymore. Let alone going to work where you are expected to be normal and accountable??

 

@Aussie Lea best thing u can do is to distract urself. .
Being alone in home is a bad idea..it only amplifies the effects of t..
Try to go out regularly like for walks.. visit friends house. .
It worked for me when I was having anxiety issues and panic attacks at first few weeks of on set of t.

 

Hi nogOOd, yes you are right, and l have started doing this. My biggest underlying issue is non acceptance. l walk every day. But l just wish l was one of those people who say l cant hear it during the day & Oh yeah if l concentrate on it l can hear it & my favorite l only hear it in quiet rooms. l wish.
Thanks for you reply l know lm a full blown whinger, never used to be

 

you're not a whinger. tinnitus is very hard to adjust to.

 

@Aussie Lea I haven't accepted my t too..
I am hoping a cure will be here in few years...so many promising treatments/ trials are around..
From first few weeks of on set of my t I started to fight it..
Acupuncture. .Hbot... supplements. .you can't put ur life on hold.. slowly get ur life under control....
Probably will try lllt soon.. I an't surrendering to this stupid t so soon...

 

@Aussie Lea - I can totally relate and I am sure most people here can too. It is a silent condition that nobody really sees how much we are suffering. You ask a very good question. I believe in some more progressive countries in the world, people have been booked off work and put on disability but i don't know anyone personally who has achieved this. Back to work and assuming normality is not an option in the early days and even less than a year in my opinion. At least until the T starts to subside or naturally habituate and even that comes with its own stresses of "what if it never goes away?", which increases your anxiety, which increases your T. The way T is handled in the workplace is an area of T that has not been recognised by the medical nor the working world in my opinion and needs someone to lobby it internationally, getting it listed as a genuine disability - at least a temporary one, until it becomes manageable. The stresses that come with trying to keep your job and money coming in on top of the stress of having T and trying to heal from it is so intense, i'm surprised more people have not committed suicide from it. No to dwell on the negative... My advice, get some good medical people who understand T and project manage your condition. Get a T masker for those days, when it is just too loud. Tell people that care about you what you are going through. Don't worry about the rest. The ones that care about you will understand your need for seclusion on days it is bad and the ones that don't, well you know the answer...

 

I suggest talking to you boss. Perhaps he/she can making some accommodations to make the work environment more comfortable (i.e. avoid noisy environments, play background noise, or whatever helps you)

Tell your coworkers about your struggles. Nothing to be ashamed and kept a secret - you may find that they are a source of support and understanding. Who knows, maybe someone had T.

It sounds like getting back to work will be a positive first step on your road to habituation. Go for it!

 

I know its tough to make a permanent disability claim for tinnitus in the states, although the US Dept of Veterans Affairs does recognize it as grounds for disability status. I have to say, working totally saved me when I first got tinnitus, when I was struggling terribly with panic. Two of my doctors suggested that I try to gut it out and not take even temporary disability, unless I absolutely couldn't deal with work. They were right: It was hard in the beginning, but gave me the distraction I needed, and helped me return to a normal life. Perhaps one reason you don't feel "normal," @Aussie Lea, is that you are used to working? However, short and long-term disability is a very personal decision, and there is no one answer.

Also: @Aussie Lea, sounds like you could be dealing with an anxiety disorder that goes beyond your tinnitus (although your T may have triggered that disorder, as it did for me). You might benefit from therapy (such as cognitive behavioral therapy) and, possibly, medication to help you get this under control. Anxiety is crippling and I feel for you. But you can get better. I think it is really tough to deal with tinnitus and acceptance until you get a handle on anxiety.

If you search the Tinnitus Talk forums, you will find lots of threads on anxiety. Good luck.

 

Like you Lady Di, I had to work--no choice and it did save me and I believe helped me to learn to manage my T. I had some horrible days as it is an office environment and very quiet.

 

Excellent advice by LadyDi and others. I can only add my own experience. There are different stages. At the beginning, it was tough even for trying to show up for work. Tough to leave the more secure home to face people. Tough to stay alert & focus. Tough to engage in meaningful discussion. I was a mess but I had to work as the only bread-winner of the family. I had to double-check, tripe-check my work. Efficiency was way down but at least I could pay my bills. But I hanged in there tough and eventually everything worked out fine.