What Hobbies Do You Have? (and Does Tinnitus Interfere?)

[Karen]

Haru,

I have tinnitus only on my right side, too, and I finally got up the courage to go to a movie about a year ago. I found that, if you make sure you bring high-quality earplugs along, you will be fine. Since then, I've gone to a number of movies, and haven't had a problem yet. The loudest thing about movies is the trailers, and often, you can remove your earplugs when the main feature is on (depending on what the feature is!). Sometimes I just wear one earplug in my right ear, and that works well. Good luck, and I hope you get back to doing the things you enjoy doing!

 

[Jill Edmonds]

My ENT specialist prescribed musician's hearing protectors to be used at movies or in loud environments.
They have to be specially fitted and allow you to hear but take away unpleasant noise.

 

[Micky]

I like engines. My '89 Camaro is my main hobby. However I did buy a project jet ski last summer for fun. Staying focused on a project like these helps me to forget my tinnitus. Needless to say I also pulled out the big stereo I once had in the car, no need for it anymore

wow an amazing motor car ..was this the model Steve McQueen drove in the film Bullet..

 

[miket]

I volunteer with different animal rescue groups. also like to play chess.(recently started playing speed chess b/c it's difficult to concentrate on long games with T). Also planning on getting back into powerlifting.

 

[LadyDi]

My ENT specialist prescribed musician's hearing protectors to be used at movies or in loud environments.
They have to be specially fitted and allow you to hear but take away unpleasant noise.

Yep ! I have 'Em and they are great. Several different brands and lots of info on TT, if you run a search. They are two, three hundred bucks but well worth it.

 

[MaccyDee]

I'm an avid writer and reader, which both involve a level of silence for me, so Tinnitus does take its toil in those areas. That's where the beauty of nature sounds come in. : P
Video games are my go to when I'm having a rough day. I'm an RPG gamer, so getting sucked into a complex storyline helps a lot.
Shout out to @Haru living that anime and manga life! I'm still in my "transitioning adult" phase, so admitting I love both of the above isn't really embarrassing, but I get lighthearted flack about it every now and then.

 

[Mark McDill]

Raising kids (or more precisely, training future adults)
Enjoying kids
Reading
Aeronautics
Racquetball
Running
Swimming
Weight Lifting
And lately I found I have a knack to build simple things around the house (now I'm rebuilding a porch railing, next is a deck)

 

[daedalus]

I like to read. Science and tech vulgarisation or books. I can now read in a quiet place. T used to make it impossible (i was despaired) but now it doesn't. I concentrate without trouble.

Last evening i watched Jupiter from my balcony with a little refractor. Sky was hazy so i didn't see the two cloud belts for long but i saw the moons. I hadn't watched the sky for years. T did not interfere. At all.

 

[DanielJP]

My hobbies are reading, games (chess, table top, computer etc.), photography, watching movies, singing. Concert coming up in June!

And yes, the disharmonious ringing in my ears sometime intrude.

 

[rachelfaye]

I enjoy sports activities outside and it seems to help almost every time. I'm not an endorphin junkie but biking and walking distracts me and the T noise seems to fade. I swam and I didn't notice it at all. Working out in a gym makes no difference in sound levels.

Playing guitar (acoustic, not loud) also seems to make it nearly disappear.

Generally the T makes all hobbies, cooking, reading, watching movies, etc . . . less enjoyable, but it hasn't stopped me from doing anything yet.

 

[erik]

I create music, play sports- like soccer and basketball. I go fishing, mountain biking, hiking. T is with me but doesn't prevent me from having a good time

 

[luckyman316]

I actuall play ice hockey. My "T" causes me a weird balance issue but someho, I'm stll ble to play ice hockey without issues. Go figure!

 

[Kathi]

My husband and I ride motorcycles but I doubt I'll be riding again. We are also redoing our house in antiques from art deco through the 50's. Kind of eclectic but fun. It all started when I bought dining and living room sets at a major furniture chain. The wood was such crap that when my mom--who is a large lady--sat down the chair cracked. Also, my 18 lb. kitty never likes to touch the floor. He jumps from couch to chair to tables, etc. All the living room tables are wobbly now. We decided to find older furniture made out of real wood--not the stuff that passes for wood today. My husband also collects Harley-Davidson memorabilia and oil memorabilia. We have a lot of fun looking for stuff in antique stores and in junk yards. Our daughter says we could find it all online but it's the quest that is fun--not just purchasing the items.

 

[Jeff M.]

Surfing!! Just got a new board and super stoked with it!! My T doesn't interfere or complicate my surfing. It actually provides needed relief from my T!!

I love to read, but it has to be quiet for me to read, and that's when my T really kicks in!! And I am such a knucklehead that I can't read and have background noise (music, tv, white noise, etc...) at the same time.

Peace!

 

[Mark McDill]

I like to read. Science and tech vulgarisation or books. I can now read in a quiet place. T used to make it impossible (i was despaired) but now it doesn't. I concentrate without trouble.

Last evening i watched Jupiter from my balcony with a little refractor. Sky was hazy so i didn't see the two cloud belts for long but i saw the moons. I hadn't watched the sky for years. T did not interfere. At all.

daedalus
That's awesome! I wish I knew how to pick Jupiter out of the sky (and have the equipment to observe it). Even better your T didn't interfere...

Mark

 

[daedalus]

Mark,

Jupiter is visible with the naked eye. It is the fourth most luminous object in the sky after the sun, the moon and venus. Visible in the gemini constellation. With any par of binoculars, if you prevent your hands from trembling too much (by blocking the binoculars with a furniture, the window or better using a tripod) you can see from two to four tiny dots aligned.

The are the four biggest moons of Jupiter. Three of them bigger than our moon. Easy target to observe. Even the cheapest 100 $ refractor telescope will show them easily. As long as you are not under artificial light like a street lamp. Of course a clean countryside sky is better.

If you don't know where to look download a soft like stellarium (it's free). Tinker a bit with it. If your city is not in their database just look up google maps to have your coordinates. Nowadays the observable planets in my urban sky in Brussels are Jupiter and Mars. With my little 70 mm refractor mars is just a tiny red dot but jupiter is a small ball with two small stripes which are their main cloud bands. Mars is visible to the naked eye too.

EDIT: And the Nebraska has a much better sky than Brussels or the whole of Belgium for that matter. If you somehow get "bitten' by amateur astronomy and want to observe nebulae from outside the city it is well possible.

 

[Earthless]

The only hobby I've been able to pick up that I actually stuck with was playing guitar and writing songs and I only started doing it properly after getting T. With that being said, yeah, T and guitars don't go together well and I have to really be careful about it.

 

[Stina]

The only hobby I've been able to pick up that I actually stuck with was playing guitar and writing songs and I only started doing it properly after getting T. With that being said, yeah, T and guitars don't go together well and I have to really be careful about it.

If its an acoustic guitar used without amplifiers I dont think its dangerous.

 

[Emil Mikalsen]

I make music using my pc, so yeah my T does interfere as i can no longer have a high volume when mixing my tracks which makes it harder to hear if its good or not. I've made music for 2 years now, but after getting T i've only made a few tracks

 

[Sound Wave]

Golf and cycling here

 

[jazz]

Hiking, cycling, walking my dog, gardening, and reading!

Tinnitus generally doesn't interfere with my hobbies, but if I'm loud I'll generally choose not to read and focus instead on other activities.

 

[derpytia]

I read and write and I'm a vocal musician (singing is my main passion) so I've found that if I can just get my brain to focus on those things, I can forget about the T for awhile and I'm happy. It still bugs me a lot a couple times a day but I'm working on it and trying my best to keep a positive attitude. I'm still in the "acute" phase so it will take some time to get back in the game completely. But I'm doing my best I have faith that one day I'll habituate, I just gotta find a way to de-stress and come up with a way to live healthier and happier.

 

[Earthless]

If its an acoustic guitar used without amplifiers I dont think its dangerous.

It really depends on how "hard" you play, even if it's just an acoustic guitar it could be very loud 'cause it's right near you. It's a huge inconvenience but it is what it is. I spiked my T a lot with acoustic, so I'm trying to be careful now.

 

[Johno]

reading books
writting books
ilustrating books - http://john-mrva.cgsociety.org/
jogging
guns (before acustic trauma)
browsing tinnitustalk

 

[Jeff M.]

I read and write and I'm a vocal musician (singing is my main passion) so I've found that if I can just get my brain to focus on those things, I can forget about the T for awhile and I'm happy. It still bugs me a lot a couple times a day but I'm working on it and trying my best to keep a positive attitude. I'm still in the "acute" phase so it will take some time to get back in the game completely. But I'm doing my best I have faith that one day I'll habituate, I just gotta find a way to de-stress and come up with a way to live healthier and happier.

derpytia,

Great attitude!! Keep it up! I know it sucks and interferes with life, but it sounds like you are grounded, understand your T, and are well on your way to habituation!! Because you WILL, and you will quicker with a positive attitude like yours. Live your life, find joy, have some fun, and kick T's butt!!!

Peace to you!!

 

[Tom Soria]

I love to cook also a huge gamer I love this game Dayz at the moment if anyone here plays it let me know If you want to add me on steam

 

[Marlene]

Family History
Knitting
Husband with tinnitus Cross stitching. Beautiful work.Gardening.
And keeping home decorated inside and out.Keeps busy my husband ,especially when his is on high side,as I type he's out gardening.

 

[UserID]

I am a musician (bassist) who plays mellow restaurant music. Here's a sample of the tunes we play:

 

[Clive Cottrell]

I have many interests, which I prefer to call them rather than hobbies. But one in particular which can be very beneficial for my T is riding my Harley Davidson, not only does the exhaust noise and wind marsk my T but when I stop for a coffee break after 60 miles or more, low, my tinnitus has completely dissapered. Pure joy. I then have the rest of the day as a normal person!! Does any other Harley rider experience this T blocking. I used to do a lot of competitive clay bird and rifle shooting but no longer. I also have spent many years playing the tenor banjo in trad jazz bands but that also is behind me. If I pick up the banjo now I have to play with a soft felt pick, that's the only way my ears can take the sound. Sad is't it. But non of these noisy pursuits gave me T. That is another story.

 

[Nick the Swede]

Fishing in general, i love fish for our Swedish perch with a popper on a varm summer day as much as i love flyfishing for Brown trout in a small stream. ( T does interfere, remember the first night at a lake with T, all quiet and no masking with me. A little bit scary).

Playing tennis or floorball, ( i noticed that tennis is a pretty loud sport, specially Indoors. Before T i did a lot of heavy work out with weights but nor more, i hope that i will pick up that one again soon. I feel that i get very tensed in the neck and jaw area when lifting and that affects T a bit.

Drinking single malt scottish whisky ( spikes T a bit)