What Are the Things That Improve or Worsen the Perception of Your Tinnitus?

[Genevieve]

What are the things according to you that improves or worsens the perception of your Tinnitus? (I exclude of course all the noisy places without hearing protection!)

As fas as I'm concerned the few things I have noticed that improves the perception of my tinnitus were:
a) A good night's sleep with positive thoughts
b) being busy with something pleasant ( watching a good film, reading books or magazine, going outside with my daughter and my man where the noise is acceptable, playing with our cat, driving my car was before my accident very pleasant but now not anymore! )
c) going to my yoga lesson, even if it's a very quiet place which makes my T more noticeable
d) reading the success story on this forum

Now, the things I think that worsens my Tinnitus are:
a) a cold or my sinusitis
b) trying to reduce the doses of xanax
c) Nicotine ( alas since the onset of my Tinnitus and the anxiety that it's generate I smoke more than before )
d) Reading the sad/poignant stories of tinnitus sufferers who has given up hope and became suicidal.
e) thinking of all the things I used to do/love and that I can't do anymore ( going to a musical, go to the cinema, to theatre, or to a too noisy restaurant).

 

[Zora]

concerning e) we can do all that but with the right protection!! I did it myself last night and got really drunk in a averagly noisy pub.
I think it is important not to tell ourselves that we cannot do something. we can, but we have to use protection. by the way I really like your thread

 

[Telis]

Shower, I take 3 to 4 a day for T relief, I feel like me again, sometimes I just sit there, have a beer, let the water run on my head and think until the hot water runs out. When I get out the relaxed feeling last for a little bit. During the day when my T gets bad I try to think about the relief that I can get when I take a shower, this helps me get through. Other than this, I don't really find a lot of relief, life in general is just a tough go with this thing.

 

[I who love music]

The Back To Silence Method takes away 99% of my perception of T.

Things that make my T worse-
Measuring it.
Listening for it.
Comparing it.
Worrying about it.
Describing the frequency.