The Zen of Tinnitus Acceptance

Ouch, what happened?

 

Not the details of the incident but the result: Immediately after the blast my ears rang loudly. I was stunned and had an ill feeling that I was injured. I stayed calm and told myself it would dissipate in a few hours, then the next day, then a few days, then wished I had sought immediate treatment, then realized it would be permanent. My ability to experience joy was terminated. I committed to the process of habitation. I had previously accomplished successful habituation with moderate tinnitus. I quit all sports and socializing, only continued working 50 to 60 hours per week. I struggled concentrating and could not think. Lost my appetite then could not sleep. Lost forty pounds, went days without sleep then gradually lost touch with reality. Ended up with a total break from reality resulting in full psychosis and forced hospitalization, twelve days. I had owned a successful business for twenty five years with many employees. Everything was shut down instantly due to this. (While I had totally lost touch with reality, I had very unique experiences which led me to become Catholic. These experiences gave me a concrete foundation for belief in the existence of God). So somehow I have become very thankful, good resulted from bad.

 

Damn, good that you had the strength to overcome this and to find ways to feel better.

 

T sucks. I hate it. Makes all other problems seem like nothing. Even watching your father murdered in front of your face on Christmas Day.

 

It's more likely that the hearing loss caused your t. T doesn't cause any other medical issues. It's not an illness or disease, but only a symptom of something else.

 

We are such a culture of complainers... Tinnitus is not that bad compared to many other physical conditions. I know. My tinnitus super loud, it's not fun, but it's not like cancer.

 

complaining is a good thing if some people are at the verge of suicide.

 

Maybe if you experienced severe hyperacusis that left you bed-ridden or developed several new tones in each ear within a few years you would change your mind. Great that you can cope well but there are millions that are struggling every day. They are not weak, they are not complaining - even if your tinnitus is loud, maybe it's still not on the same catastrophic level that other people have. People are losing their lives to it.

Have a look at Gaby Olthuis' story, read Jenny's story or look up Tom Maholchic’s story.

Also, seems like you can at least get relief from your tinnitus, even nearly completely eliminating it. That’s not the same as having severe tinnitus 24/7, you at least get quiet days.

 

It's pretty much shifted to full time now. I actually find it easier that way to deal with. Strangely , I can reduce it by pushing on my jaw sometimes, but not always.

As the OP stated, I don't fight it - I accept it and it stops being a problem. I learned this approach with my other health issues (far, far worse) and other life adversities. I could complain but it only makes it harder and my loved ones are annoyed. So I just choose hapiness.

 

Acceptance works and meditation is a great tool to get there.

Unfortunately for me, I stopped accepting it in the last year and it has become much more noticeable/annoying.. :-(

 

Sorry to hear that.

I hope better days return.

 

Thanks John. I don't mean to be a downer..

I think it's just a combination of me getting off my healthy diet and less exercise since I've been working a lot more lately.

The good news is that I am trying Hemp spray which provides temporary relief. -- It may be a placebo effect (which is fine too ..

 

My strong advice to everyone is to exercise every day. Treat it just like you would taking a life saving drug. Make it a priority. It helps you sleep much better, cope better, happier, and of course healthier overall. Unless you are so sick that really cannot. When you want to do it least is when you need it most.