• Home
  • About
  • Contact
  • RSS Feed
Elevating Sound
  • Soundscape
    • Urban Soundscape
    • Nature
    • Art & Culture
  • Sound Gear
    • Consumer Electronics
    • Household Appliances
    • Ear Protection
    • Acoustic Solutions
    • Books
  • Quiet Cars
  • Sound Design
    • Architecture & Acoustic Design
    • Audio Branding & Marketing
    • Music & Entertainment
    • Industrial Design
    • Soundproofing
  • Health
    • Noise Pollution
    • Tinnitus & Hyperacusis
    • Hard of Hearing & Deaf
    • Sound Treatment
  • Science
    • Psychology
No Result
View All Result
  • Soundscape
    • Urban Soundscape
    • Nature
    • Art & Culture
  • Sound Gear
    • Consumer Electronics
    • Household Appliances
    • Ear Protection
    • Acoustic Solutions
    • Books
  • Quiet Cars
  • Sound Design
    • Architecture & Acoustic Design
    • Audio Branding & Marketing
    • Music & Entertainment
    • Industrial Design
    • Soundproofing
  • Health
    • Noise Pollution
    • Tinnitus & Hyperacusis
    • Hard of Hearing & Deaf
    • Sound Treatment
  • Science
    • Psychology
No Result
View All Result
Elevating Sound
No Result
View All Result
Home Health

Managing Your Tinnitus Starts With Acceptance

Magnus Kähler by Magnus Kähler
April 4, 2013 - Updated on September 10, 2013
in Health, Tinnitus & Hyperacusis
Reading Time: 4 mins read
0
The Quietness White Space - Growing Movement for Quiet Products
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Tinnitus

The fact that there is no true cure for noise-induced tinnitus should never discourage us to stop exploring treatments in the quest for some relief and better being able to manage one’s tinnitus.

However, I would argue that the number one most important thing in preparing yourself to successfully manage your life with tinnitus is acceptance.

As a result of an extended period of attending heavy metal concerts, I got noise-induced tinnitus at the age of 16. The biggest mistake I did was not to, from the very beginning, work with myself enough to reach true acceptance of having tinnitus 24/7. It took me many years until I was able to fully embrace the fact that, yes, there are certain limitations to my life, but more importantly, there are so many things in life that I can still thoroughly enjoy without feeling too hindered.

In my case, the lack of acceptance meant that I was embarassed to show my perceived weakness to others. I felt ashamed of showing that I was wearing earplugs which, on some occasions, had the consequence that I stayed in a too loud environment for too long without using my earplugs. On a few occasions, it even meant that my tinnitus got permanently worse.

The lack of acceptance also increased my focus on the negative consequences in my life instead of fully embracing all the things I could still enjoy. Instead of beating myself down for not being able to partake in social activities in loud environments such as nightclubs, I should instead have been more creative and decided to arrange more social activities at my place and seen more opportunities to e.g. meeting girls in other places than loud bars and clubs.

Acceptance is so vital to successfully managing your life with tinnitus and to avoid the mistake of worsening your tinnitus due to going to loud environments for too long and/or without properly protecting your ears. In order to be on your way to eventually reaching acceptance and not carrying around feelings of shame, frustration, despair or any other destructive feelings, I advise you to start doing the following things today:

    1. Tell your family and friends in detail about what tinnitus is, what it means and how it affects you. Tell them that you would appreciate any support in terms of e.g. them suggesting activities in low- to medium-noise settings to make it manageable for you.
    2. Tell your family and friends that you may sometimes need their help in rearranging things to make it more bearable for you, even if it means leaving an event that everyone involved had been looking forward to attend. If you find yourself to be in a noisy setting that just does not work for you – your tinnitus may have become aggravated – then what you should do is to stand up, explain to the persons you went there with and leave. Do not feel concerned about what others think – you have to put your health first. Although, I’d advise you to be so clear to your family and friends that they should not feel that they have to leave as well. In the end, it’s up to them, but you should get used to sometimes actually having to leave yourself and that’s fine. The most important thing is that you continuously TRY to be part of social activities. It is crucial to not isolate yourself, avoiding noise altogether – that can make your ears more sensitive over time. Instead, try to explore and find out what noise level works for you and if you have to spend time in noisy settings, make sure to use proper ear protection.
    3. Show openly when you put in your ear plugs. There is no reason for you to hide the fact that you have a handicap. This may spark people’s attention and they may ask you questions which is a great thing through which you can help them to understand you and show you empathy. Alternatively, choose to proactively explain what you are doing and why in order to remove any questionmarks on their end. I remember having been on dates and doing everything to hide my ‘weakness’ to the girls since I was concerned they might have an issue with it. Obviously, that was the wrong way of going about things. There are so many caring individuals in this world and you want to make sure to be with someone who will want you for exactly who you are. A positive side effect of sharing your tinnitus with others is that, in return, many people will start to open up and tell you about the problems they are facing. Openness is a wonderful thing that opens doors and forges intimate relationships with others.
    4. Book an appointment with a therapist via your local tinnitus medical team since it will also be good to talk things through with an objective voice that can help you address the areas that still needs solving in terms of reaching the right level of acceptance to be able to focus on the right and most constructive things in life.

This is all easier said than done. But if you can reach acceptance a lot faster than I did then you are sure to be much better off.

Please, let me know what you think. Are you new with tinnitus and do you recognize feelings of it being hard to reach acceptance? What obstacles are you experiencing?

And if you have had tinnitus for some time, how did you reach acceptance? Would love to hear your thoughts on this.

Tags: ear plugslife advicetinnitus
ShareTweetShareShareSendSend
Magnus Kähler

Magnus Kähler

Swedish founder of Elevating Sound - Your Sound Guide to a Sound World. I have set out to inform and educate about progressive sound thinking, leading sound innovations and issues around noise in society. If you wish to support the initiative and help Elevating Sound increase its impact, please CLICK HERE to become a patron.

Related Posts

protect ears and hearing from loud noise using hands
Ear Protection

How to protect hearing from loud noise using your hands

May 3, 2021
Noise Levels of Urban America – Why the City Soundscape Needs to be Transformed
Noise Pollution

Noise Levels of Urban America – Why the City Soundscape Needs to be Transformed

June 28, 2014 - Updated on April 23, 2020
Your Guide to Getting Quiet Tires that Reduce Road Noise
Noise Pollution

Your Guide to Getting Quiet Tires that Reduce Road Noise

June 24, 2014 - Updated on April 22, 2020
Conquering Hearing Loss – My Personal Path from Denial to Acceptance
Books

Conquering Hearing Loss – My Personal Path from Denial to Acceptance

January 6, 2014 - Updated on April 22, 2020
How Excessively Noisy Toys Can Damage Your Child’s Hearing – Find Out Which Toys to Avoid
Family & Kids

How Excessively Noisy Toys Can Damage Your Child’s Hearing – Find Out Which Toys to Avoid

January 4, 2014 - Updated on April 22, 2020
The Quietness White Space - Growing Movement for Quiet Products
Health

New on Elevating Sound: Tinnitus Dialogue – Your Caring Peer-to-Peer Advisory

December 30, 2013 - Updated on April 22, 2020
Load More

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Subscribe to our Free Newsletter

  • Trending
  • Comments
  • Latest
Tired of Cabin Noise? Here Is Your Guide to Getting a Quiet Car

Tired of Cabin Noise? Here Is Your Guide to Getting a Quiet Car

132
Lexus LS 600h - The Quietest Passenger Car in the World

The Price of Quiet Driving – A Noise Study of 35 Passenger Cars

102
The Top 30 Quietest Cars – A Cabin Noise Test by AUTO BILD

The Top 30 Quietest Cars – A Cabin Noise Test by AUTO BILD

16
Why Super Fast Hand Dryers Exclude People From Public Spaces

Why Super Fast Hand Dryers Exclude People From Public Spaces

14
Mercedes S-Class quietest car

11 Great Insights About Noise in Cars

May 3, 2021
protect ears and hearing from loud noise using hands

How to protect hearing from loud noise using your hands

May 3, 2021

Elevating Quiet Luxury – Kia Claims to be Quieter than Audi, BMW and Lexus

July 17, 2014 - Updated on March 17, 2021
The Most Beautiful Sound in the World

The Most Beautiful Sound in the World

July 2, 2014 - Updated on March 17, 2021

Recent News

Mercedes S-Class quietest car

11 Great Insights About Noise in Cars

May 3, 2021
protect ears and hearing from loud noise using hands

How to protect hearing from loud noise using your hands

May 3, 2021

Elevating Quiet Luxury – Kia Claims to be Quieter than Audi, BMW and Lexus

July 17, 2014 - Updated on March 17, 2021
The Most Beautiful Sound in the World

The Most Beautiful Sound in the World

July 2, 2014 - Updated on March 17, 2021

Follow Us

Support Elevating Sound

Become a Patron!

Subscribe to our Free Newsletter

Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.
To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Cookie Policy

Browse by Category

  • Acoustic Solutions
  • Architecture & Acoustic Design
  • Art & Culture
  • Books
  • Branding & Marketing
  • Consumer Electronics
  • Ear Protection
  • Family & Kids
  • Hard of Hearing & Deaf
  • Health
  • Household Appliances
  • Industrial Design
  • Music & Entertainment
  • Nature
  • Noise Pollution
  • Psychology
  • Quiet Cars
  • Science
  • Sound Design
  • Sound Gear
  • Sound Treatment
  • Soundproofing
  • Soundscape
  • Tinnitus & Hyperacusis
  • Urban Soundscape

Latest Articles

Mercedes S-Class quietest car

11 Great Insights About Noise in Cars

May 3, 2021
protect ears and hearing from loud noise using hands

How to protect hearing from loud noise using your hands

May 3, 2021

Elevating Quiet Luxury – Kia Claims to be Quieter than Audi, BMW and Lexus

July 17, 2014 - Updated on March 17, 2021
The Most Beautiful Sound in the World

The Most Beautiful Sound in the World

July 2, 2014 - Updated on March 17, 2021
Noise Levels of Urban America – Why the City Soundscape Needs to be Transformed

Noise Levels of Urban America – Why the City Soundscape Needs to be Transformed

June 28, 2014 - Updated on April 23, 2020
  • Soundscape
  • Sound Gear
  • Quiet Cars
  • Sound Design
  • Health
  • Science

Reimagine © 2020

No Result
View All Result
  • Soundscape
    • Urban Soundscape
    • Nature
    • Art & Culture
  • Sound Gear
    • Consumer Electronics
    • Household Appliances
    • Ear Protection
    • Acoustic Solutions
    • Books
  • Quiet Cars
  • Sound Design
    • Architecture & Acoustic Design
    • Audio Branding & Marketing
    • Music & Entertainment
    • Industrial Design
    • Soundproofing
  • Health
    • Noise Pollution
    • Tinnitus & Hyperacusis
    • Hard of Hearing & Deaf
    • Sound Treatment
  • Science
    • Psychology

Reimagine © 2020