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Tinnitus Week 2018 / Day 6: What Do You Find Helps Take Your Mind Off Tinnitus?

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Have you picked up a new hobby, or returned to an old one, to take your mind off tinnitus? Or what do you find helps take your mind off tinnitus? Exercise? Socializing? Traveling? Anything?

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Spending time with family and friends, shopping and taking care of things around the house.
 
Listening to or participating in an interesting discussion helps. Reading something fascinating helps. Watching movies helps. In short, being totally unproductive helps. :D

I've returned to writing my novel(s). When I get immersed in the details, the tinnitus fades into the background. That wasn't the case in the first couple of years.
 
Time spent with family, children, grandchildren, my beautiful three pussycats.
Facebooking with numerous friends, debating, etc
Walking, taking holidays, usually in Holland, with my misus, whom I adore. x
 
Not thinking about it. Having many different hobbies helps. I have it in my left ear only. A fan running seems to help balance the sound.
 
I'm not sure, because I don't do anything with the intention to take my mind off of my tinnitus. I've gotten used to it fairly quickly, so I live life as I have before getting it (though barely living).

e: I am more careful about loud noises, though, and I now limit music consumption based on how engaged/present I am in listening to it.
 
Sailing, scuba-diving, hi-fi music, self head massage, reading on good days, kissing and talking to the dog on bad days (tiny yorkshire "toy size")...
 
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I try to get out of the house, driving maybe, or go to the shops. Living alone makes distraction more difficult as it's impossibly loud and can't be masked. I tend to become very anxious if I'm alone too much with it.
 
This is a hard question to answer because I really don't do anything deliberately to avoid my tinnitus. But when I realize I am not listening to it - I find it.

Sort of like waking from a dream and trying to get back to sleep to see what happens.

I get lost in music. Mostly country. And when it is a "bad" day I will listen to some favorite songs like Humble and Kind by Tim McGraw or Imagine by the Beatles.

Especially Imagine. I close my eyes and focus on the words and instrumentals and the message.

I love to landscape and create beautiful gardens.

I love horseback riding which is my favorite vacation in the mountains.

I enjoy golfing with my husband and don't notice the tinnitus.

I mean, it is always there and loud but the activities keep me busy doing stuff I love to do.
 
Usually just changing activity helps with T. If I am watching movies and I get a spike then I go for a walk. Anything to occupy your mind usually helps. Which always makes me think how much of T is psychological vs physical.
 
When I'm working. I own and operate a pizza restaurant. When I'm in work there is a lot going on. Talking to customers and employees takes my mind off my tinnitus. All the fans and noises cooking help mask it also. When my tinnitus is bothering me I like to be in work.
 
Work, studying at coffee shops, watching Tv , cooking, walking or exercise. Playing board games with friends, socializing, shopping.

I think with tinnitus things I miss is being lazy on couch, sleeping long hours, enjoying my silence and solitude.
 
Unfortunately, lately I have been doing a lot of TV watching and find myself snacking way too much. Some gaming and it varies. Sometimes I can't find a distraction at all and then it really starts to grind me down.
 
I'm at a stage where it's always at the back of my mind, and it doesn't help that it's loud enough there is really no masking.

I still try to read, write, TV, Movies, wood working, building computers, and normal everyday chores and what not. I've notice a difference in the way I think and I'm trying to get back to being peaceful.
 
I enjoy being outside as nature sounds really masks my Tinnitus: walking, hiking, skiing, relaxing. Things that help me forget about T: working, listening to music (not loud), surfing the internet, shopping, keeping busy and sleeping (no T when I sleep).
 
I have fluctuating tinnitus. On a good day any activity took my nind off tinnitus, on a bad day, nothing. On a bad day i cannot even think.
 
When I stay busy doing things that requires a lot of attention, I oftentimes forget about my tinnitus. Sometimes it creeps up to my attention and then it's just annoying and I can't focus. So it can go in phases like that. Also, going out on long walks makes me not only forget about my tinnitus but it also somehow suppresses it so that I don't even perceive it. Most of the time! Not always! I was out yesterday and it crept up while I was walking. Maybe it was because everything was covered in snow and very quite... But it soon faded again as I started to talk to a friend of mine as we strolled down a walkway.
 

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