Do you guys really manage to live 1 day at a time, not thinking about the past and the future? I have mild tinnitus and I can manage quite well on a daily basis besides some anxiety I get mainly in the mornings. But my biggest problem is thinking too much about the future. I mean I'm doing pretty well with my T but I think a lot that T is a lifetime condition and I will never hear silence again. So instead of focusing on what I'm about to do today I focus more on "damn it's gonna be like that forever". Do you manage to push back these thoughts so that they don't bother you too much? I guess it might be the same with any other kind of disability which is a lifetime condition.
When my T was new, yes I thought about the bleak future a lot and got very nervous. I made the mistake of projecting the future based on the worst time. But I have learned from others the need to live and focus on the present. The future is not yet a reality; the past is history and the current moment is the only thing I can do something about to make it a positive moment. In CBT, projecting the future catastrophically is a form of cognitive distortion, something we should avoid. My 2 cents.
I had many big troubles and every time passed over it and life went better. Even after the point where my tinnitus started, there were good (?can i say happy?) times! So why? Why I am still having dark thoughts about my future? Now I can only see my future: life is going still the same way, and constantly worsening by aging. And I am thinking of such future all day, each hour. Don't want it, but can't help myself. It sucks.
If you are going to think about the future, you need to to think about it in a positive manner as difficult as it may be. How does one measure the severity of Tinnitus? Maybe by the impact we allow it to have on our lives? I dont know... When I went to my audioloigist she struggled to mask my T, the type of masking sound and level (DB) of volume would determine the severity of the T... Just be positive, continue with activities that make you happy and comfortable and also learn to accept the worst so that even something a little better becomes the best (if that makes any sense at all)... Right now as I am typing this my T is probably just below a severe level, 8000hz I cant really explain the volume but to put you in perspective I would hear it even in a busy mall. With that been said I have quieter days and I look forward to them. Sorry for the drift in my reply - once again stay strong and positive... It can be achieved.
Sorry to hear this. The can't help myself part I get. T causes a new layer of difficulty in a persons life. You have to deal with all the regular challenges plus t. Its the 800 pound gorilla a person carries with them on their shoulders every day
No I didn't see a CBT therapist. But I read up a lot on CBT and how to counter the cognitive distortions. That is some form of self help CBT where you read up a lot on CBT and then follow some suggestions. For example, one major aspect of it is to write down the distorted thoughts and replace it with more realistic or positive ones. I have written many WORD documents which I could browse through at work or at home often to remind me those distorted thoughts and the positive countering. If you read Doctor Hubbard's own success story, you will see how he uses CBT and countering of his negative thoughts about the future. You can also read 'Letter to a tinnitus sufferer' by Dr. Nagler which also describes how to counter these distorted thoughts. Remember, no one is superhuman. Most of us including these doctors suffered badly initially. Time plus good strategies can help us deal with T better. Here is Dr. Hubbard's success story: https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/how-cbt-helped-me-live-again-dr-hubbards-story.4608/
