Meditation Failure

So I attended a meditation class tonight and it was pure torture to sit in a quiet room for an hour and focus on your breathing while trying to bring yourself to a calmer state. All I could do was listen to my T blare and wonder how in the world am I going to cope with this the rest of my life? I found myself thinking of the others in the class and how lucky it must be to be them and be able to focus on meditating in silence. That class was lost on me

 

Yep had the same experience in a yoga class. Way too quiet!

You are pretty new to tinnitus, Lynnette. So you might want to try guided meditations instead.
You listen to the meditation being spoken, usually mixed in with soft music. I think we are very sensitive to silence in the beginning which makes some mindfulness practices hard. Lots of meditation tapes available on apps, online. Check out Meditation Oasis. Good luck! I found meditation is helpful. You just have to tweak it to work with your T.

 

I've seen a few threads on Reddit where people have learned to use their tinnitus positively in meditation. http://www.reddit.com/r/Meditation/comments/1sekxh/meditation_for_a_beginner_with_tinnitus/

 

Hi I agree with @LadyDi idea to help you I love listening to guided meditation she describes I have a few on my phone and take 30 mins everyday to listen to it often at bedtime as I find a voice and soothing music works better for sleep than white noise. My tip if you want to try this is fund one where the persons voice is 'nice' for you - if you get my meaning ? I use Andrew Johnson stuff he has a soft Scottish accent and I love this and I like his technique - so do listen to a few samples and you will find one that clicks with you. Cher xx

 

Thanks for the tips...I think guided meditation would be easier to handle with my T. Silence is not my "friend".

 

Hey Cher, have been wanting to wish you Happy New Year! Hope 2014 will be a good one for you and your family. Thanks for all the support and hugs in 2o13.

So I agree with Cher, Lynnette: A comforting voice is helpful with guided meditation. I also like Bella Naparstek. Lots of CDs and downloads here: http://www.healthjourneys.com/default.asp

Oddly enough, never have found a guided meditation specifically for tinnitus. Wish someone would make one. If anyone finds one, let us know!

I also have heard of people meditating on the sound of their tinnitus, as @Liesel mentions: you basically lean into and embrace the sound. There is someone here who posted on this technique and did a great job describing it -- can't find it right now, but you might try searching. I have been meaning to try it but haven't.

 

I do try to meditate and it's v v tough..if you do play white noise in the background it does work .you won't ever feel the silence but you will get some benefits of meditation .

 

I agree about guided meditation. I've turned to it recently to deal with generalized stress, including the contribution to stress by my tinnitus, which is worsening. There a number of guided meditation videos available but I found this YouTube channel to be very helpful. These guys make a very good effort in producing quality videos...

http://www.youtube.com/user/TheHonestGuys/featured

According to certain psychologists (eg. Dr Elissa Epel) and other scientists too much stress will bring on many illnesses and shorten one's life. Seems common sense, but science seems to be bearing that out. So, whether you use guided meditation, or other techniques, reducing stress should have a big payoff in the long run...

 

Thanks all for the suggestions, I'll look into them tonight. Peterz you mentioned stress shortening one's life...it is sad that I immediately thought that's not a bad thing since then I wouldn't have to deal with this T until I'm 80+. I know I need to think more positively but it sure is hard to do. I fear as I age or for unforeseen circumstances it'll get worse and worse. Anyway, worrying definitely doesn't get me anywhere though!

 

Think of it this way, Lynnette: As we age, we get closer to a cure or much better treatments that will greatly reduce our symptoms. There is a lot of research in the pipeline. You look very young in your photo; you will be here to benefit from it.

And I don't think there is any research that shows tinnitus gets worse due to age alone. If anything, you are more likely to habituate to it.

 

Not that young, I'm 40. I can only hope for treatments in the future and the ability to at least habituate to it. This is no easy task but I'll keep on trying!

 

I meditate in complete silence (while taking a bath) sounds femi lol but whatever. I forget about my T when I meditate, until I suddenly think "holy shit, I don't hear my T!" and then it tunes back in haha.

But yeah I guess mine is just very low, cause I am not good at concentrating.

 

It's not until it's taken away from you that you know how much it's worth, the silence. It's what keeps a human sane.

 

Before my T increased a used to meditate each afternoon and I often took a short nap during my meditation. Now that my T increased I feel I haven't really been able to relax, which is not a nice thing. I guess I need some music as well now to cover my T during relaxation/meditation. I still don't understand how someone can meditate listening to the tinnitus sound, if I listen to mine I just feel it is driving me nuts.