Added stress

[arthursseat]

I am 80 and have had tinnitus for many years but have been able to manage it by making it my "friend" so that, although at the back of my mind I know it's there, I didn't notice it for most of the time. The current lock down situation has added a great deal of stress and suddenly my tinnitus is encroaching badly. I know others must have had problems for many years and I wondered how they cope with tinnitus awareness all the time?

[TinnitusUKPat Partner]

Hello Arthur

Lovely to hear from you. I think that your method of viewing tinnitus is a fantastic one - removing the sense of threat around the sounds you hear. It's all too understandable that the challenges facing us all are introducing ongoing stress which can make tinnitus worse - does anybody have tips on coping with their tinnitus during a testing time?

Best wishes

Pat

[1Simulated in reply to TinnitusUKPat]

Hi BTAPat . i have found this does this make sense to you ?

Please find Enclosed .. electricsense.com/beating-e... .

[Xene]

Yay arthursseat, I've had T for decades and I too treat it as my best friend! Fortunately stress does not affect my T as it screams away 24/7 regardless of anything, although I do notice that lack of sleep does make it much harder to cope with! Good luck. In the face of adversity fight on!

Best Wishes

Xene

[arthursseat in reply to Xene]

Thanks Xene,

It took me completely by surprise suddenly not dealing with it very well after 30-odd years but, as you say, we battle on.

Many thanks.

[Xene in reply to arthursseat]

If you scroll through the posts on here you will see that many people on here have spikes in their T for various reasons and for some their T will eventually subside after a while. Hoping that once your stress reduces your T will settle down again.

[1Dar in reply to Xene]

Hi Xene, I have had tinnitus for 3 and half years and it still scares me but realise now the more stress I have the worse it gets. I’ve had lots of operations and now onto my second cochlear implant . I pushed for hearing aids etc , as my hearing deteriorated.. but have had a lot of stress because of the operations . I like your attitude of adopting tinnitus as your friend and wish I could have the same attitude ... I will try very hard to have the same attitude. Good luck with the social isolating ... Jenny 😊😊😊

[T-shirts]

Hello, sorry you're Tinnitus has gone up since this virus has put us in lock down, have you got hearing aids, they help me, they lower my tinnitus, watch your telly, do puzzles, if you can, keep your self busy if you can, try relax, and not to worry about this virus, it'll be over soon, and your Tinnitus will go back down, wishing you all the best, stay well, try not to worry, you'll be okay,

Best wishes

Anne

[arthursseat in reply to T-shirts]

Many thanks Anne for your caring reply. I wish I had your confidence about it being over soon. I think I just about have my T under control again, it was such a shock to suddenly have it come to the fore so much after years of being on top of it.

Your reply was very much appreciated. John.

[T-shirts in reply to arthursseat]

Hi John,

You're welcome, glad it's under control, I know how horrible and distressing it can be, I have mine under control, hearing aids, they help, do have some bad days, but glad you're feeling better, take care,

Anne, X

[1Dar in reply to T-shirts]

Nice , positive words Anne.. times like this we all need to support each other ! Tinnitus is such a cruel thing , it has altered my life in such a big way , I certainly don’t worry about the insignificant things in life anymore. Take care and keep up the positive attitude . Jenny 😊😊😊

[T-shirts in reply to 1Dar]

Hi Jenny, oh thanks very much, yes it's a very distressing condition, have to be positive, especially at the moment, horrible time for us all, hope you're well take care, XX

[Hidden]

Hi arthursseat

Sorry to hear that you are now, in these strange times, more 'aware' of your T.

However, by your replies you do seem to be coping slightly better now?

And great that some posters have shared what helps them.

If interested in what has helped me, please read my T post of last week.

Where I relate how I have actually managed to get RID of it, despite having it for 40 years.

Simply, by viewing it in an absolutely NON- THREATENING light.

Which is like this:

T is an ILLUSION/HALLUCINATION/DELUSION/ETC that the brain has created, for whatever reason.

There is NO ACTUAL SOUND at all, as we know it.

So, why get all anxious about something that DOESN'T EVEN EXIST?

Proof of the pudding - I haven't taken benzos to get me off to sleep for 14 nights now!

IT'S GONE

Good luck!

Alps Holiday

[arthursseat in reply to Hidden]

Many thanks Alps. I have done just that for around 30 years and, as far as I am concerned, it didn't exist. Or when it did pop up it was a friend. I think the stress finally caught up the other day and suddenly it became a threat again. All being well I am gradually able to put it back in its box again more often.

John.

[Wringing1212]

Hi Arthur, I'm back on this platform, not because I'm board. I'm busier than ever but have noticed since the pandemic, my T is much worse. Also, I'm getting new variations of sound like motors.

I'd had T for many years, but it got much worse after a head injury. I learned to habituate but now, my brain plays one bar of a song all day. Well, it works. The head trauma later caused my floaters to get considerably worse. Once faced with being visually challenged, I put less attention to the T. Now with the pandemic, I'm in emergency drive, just trying to fend for my family and be there for them. I've learned I can take a lot and still be happy.

[arthursseat]

Yes, I found my T much worse one day a couple of weeks ago because of stress. Fortunately I remembered all the things I did many years ago to accommodate it and make it part of me and I was able to knock it down again. It's always there but, fortunately, I always have in mind that it is not trying to do me any harm. I find talking to my wife about it as relaxed as possible and that helps. Just to finish I also have a name for it -- Clive (apologies to anyone of that name but it is not meant to be derogatory in any way).

[brd888]

Hello. I am 48 and in a similar situation. I have it intermittently. My tinnitus was very much under control prior to the covid thing but it has come back a lot and is now very hard to get quiet again,