- Feb 3, 2016
- 5
- Tinnitus Since
- 03/2010
- Cause of Tinnitus
- 1st noticed in '88, really bad since Xanax >8 yrs ago?
Hi. I blamed my T on a poor Rx decision for a benzodiazepine, as well as medicating far too long, and an extremely mishandled cold-turkey detox, but I think I've always had it. While other issues remain, I realize today that I need to change the way I think about T. In fact, I have to stop thinking about it altogether. Two posts have made a difference already.
In the first post, someone commented that while I was reading his reply, I was largely unaware of how my left foot felt. Absolutely true. Not numb, but now I truly understand that over-used comment "It is what is it." I started thinking of all the other things we sense, but ignore, like bad breath. We should be able to taste how nasty our breath is, but often, someone else does first! But why?!
In the second post, the author wrote about our tendency to focus on things we can't change, while ignoring others we really should.
There is also significant implied benefit to distracting our attention with activity or our hearing with white noise, however, both concepts are short lived unless we can believe that the change can be permanent. Why? Because as people in search of a solution, our natural feedback loop causes us to reevaluate whether or not the solution has, in fact, worked. Maybe it's age. As a kid, an injury was soon forgotten - even sprained joints - because we 1) believed that a fix was inevitable and 2) ignored the possibility of a recurrence...
...but T (as far as they know) is not necessarily the result of anything - it simply is. It exists because we worry about it. It gets worse when we worry about it. Does that mean it goes away if we don't worry? No! But at that point, who cares? Sure there are other problems associated with T - losing sleep, for example - but isn't the lost sleep really due to worry? I propose that ... scratch that...what works for me might not work for you. But this is going to be my approach:
1. I am not going to do anything for the sole purpose of distracting myself from T. If I do, that means I'm thinking about it.
2. What? Still here? I told you no feedback loops.
My point is this. I doubt I will simply forget about or ignore T instantly. While you ponder this, sorry...while I ponder this, I am going to start listing all the times I don't notice T at all. Then I am going to duplicate and build upon those things, hopefully, without getting addicted to anything. Fortunately (and I'm not trying to be cute here...) one of those things for me is sex. When I'm "ready," I can and do ignore almost everything else. When I enjoy a meal or a drink; when I carry on a conversation; when I watch a movie. I just realized that is probably why I rarely enjoy reading or studying in a library. Too quiet. Exercising is good, too, at least WHILE I exercise.
But I want to know how I ignore T when things are calm and quiet. Sometimes I do, and sometimes I don't. I also wonder if maybe I should have had more fun when I was younger and "killed a few more brain cells." Then I wouldn't think so much. I mean, seriously, aren't you reading this - still - because you're really curious? Isn't that why you took time out of your life to even find this site? It is certainly why I am still writing! I write when I think - and the writing helps me ignore my T. Stopping an activity to regroup or start something else makes me conscious of my T. My God! Could my sleep deprivation and ADD actually be the result of my mind's lifelong attempt to ignore T?! An now it has simply moved from my subconscious to my conscious self? (I almost typed unconscious, right, Tin Cup?)
OK, it's ringing again, so before I go, I need to ask two questions I've been pondering.
1. Is there any way whatsoever for a doctor to confirm or test for subjective tinnitus? If not, how close have we come to figuring that out?
2. Has anyone ever done anything - I mean anything - that has resulted in sudden, even if only temporary, reduction or elimination of tinnitus? Even something like acupuncture?
OK, 3 questions.
3. Has anyone who is 100% deaf ever reported having tinnitus?
Best of luck!
In the first post, someone commented that while I was reading his reply, I was largely unaware of how my left foot felt. Absolutely true. Not numb, but now I truly understand that over-used comment "It is what is it." I started thinking of all the other things we sense, but ignore, like bad breath. We should be able to taste how nasty our breath is, but often, someone else does first! But why?!
In the second post, the author wrote about our tendency to focus on things we can't change, while ignoring others we really should.
There is also significant implied benefit to distracting our attention with activity or our hearing with white noise, however, both concepts are short lived unless we can believe that the change can be permanent. Why? Because as people in search of a solution, our natural feedback loop causes us to reevaluate whether or not the solution has, in fact, worked. Maybe it's age. As a kid, an injury was soon forgotten - even sprained joints - because we 1) believed that a fix was inevitable and 2) ignored the possibility of a recurrence...
...but T (as far as they know) is not necessarily the result of anything - it simply is. It exists because we worry about it. It gets worse when we worry about it. Does that mean it goes away if we don't worry? No! But at that point, who cares? Sure there are other problems associated with T - losing sleep, for example - but isn't the lost sleep really due to worry? I propose that ... scratch that...what works for me might not work for you. But this is going to be my approach:
1. I am not going to do anything for the sole purpose of distracting myself from T. If I do, that means I'm thinking about it.
2. What? Still here? I told you no feedback loops.
My point is this. I doubt I will simply forget about or ignore T instantly. While you ponder this, sorry...while I ponder this, I am going to start listing all the times I don't notice T at all. Then I am going to duplicate and build upon those things, hopefully, without getting addicted to anything. Fortunately (and I'm not trying to be cute here...) one of those things for me is sex. When I'm "ready," I can and do ignore almost everything else. When I enjoy a meal or a drink; when I carry on a conversation; when I watch a movie. I just realized that is probably why I rarely enjoy reading or studying in a library. Too quiet. Exercising is good, too, at least WHILE I exercise.
But I want to know how I ignore T when things are calm and quiet. Sometimes I do, and sometimes I don't. I also wonder if maybe I should have had more fun when I was younger and "killed a few more brain cells." Then I wouldn't think so much. I mean, seriously, aren't you reading this - still - because you're really curious? Isn't that why you took time out of your life to even find this site? It is certainly why I am still writing! I write when I think - and the writing helps me ignore my T. Stopping an activity to regroup or start something else makes me conscious of my T. My God! Could my sleep deprivation and ADD actually be the result of my mind's lifelong attempt to ignore T?! An now it has simply moved from my subconscious to my conscious self? (I almost typed unconscious, right, Tin Cup?)
OK, it's ringing again, so before I go, I need to ask two questions I've been pondering.
1. Is there any way whatsoever for a doctor to confirm or test for subjective tinnitus? If not, how close have we come to figuring that out?
2. Has anyone ever done anything - I mean anything - that has resulted in sudden, even if only temporary, reduction or elimination of tinnitus? Even something like acupuncture?
OK, 3 questions.
3. Has anyone who is 100% deaf ever reported having tinnitus?
Best of luck!
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