Small Wins with Tinnitus

Part of getting better for me was acceptance.
Part of acceptance is adaptability.

For me tinnitus was a thief, it stole my ability to feel joy, peace, and my silence.

It threatened to steal the very parts of me I was proud of, being a good wife and mother. Being a good friend, listener, and my wicked sense of humor.

I got stuck in the why, why, why!!
Why was this happening to me, why was everything I loved and worked for being stolen from me....WHY!!!

I was asking the wrong question.

The right question was/is how!

How do I get better?

How do I get my life back, my joy, my peace?

How do I live with tinnitus?

I stated small.....the one thing I have always loved is reading.

Reading is something you do in the quiet and friends, you can understand the quiet was my new enemy.

How could I continue to do something I enjoy and not let tinnitus steal this from me?!?

I adapted.

One of my favorite places to read is on the beach. The ocean is not known for how quiet it is.

I got my favorite book, a glass of my favorite wine, made my bed super comfy put some ocean sounds on and escaped into my book.

It wasn't perfect, I was aware that I was trying to not be aware if you catch my drift but it was a start and the more I relaxed, the more I lost myself in my book the less I thought about the
Beeeeeeeeppppppppzzzzzzzzzzzeeeeeeee!

It was a small win, bet hey it was a good win!

I realized that I was going to have to make a few changes in my life in order to enjoy things again.....and I did.

Now I don't have to...I can read in a quiet room and not even think about the sound.

It took time, but I got here.

I stopped fighting for my old life and adapted to my new one.

I got back all the things I thought I lost to T.

It took time and hard work. It took trusting in the professionals around me and in their process. It took my willingness to get better and to stop doing the things that didn't help me.

Trust me when I say I'm nothing special, you can do it too!

It's starts with asking the right questions, at least it did for me.