vomitbunny wrote:I went through a period of time when tinnitus almost totally kept me from playing. Whistle was the worst. Flute was difficult. I played around with strings (Uke) for a while and luckily it went away. I tried ear plugs for a while. Didn't seem to help much. Stuff just sounded strange.
Did you try noise blocking or noise canceling headphones? My audiologist said that the pressure created between the earbuds and the eardrum can actually trigger tinnitus for some people.
We seem to have representatives on our forum from across the spectrum of those with tinnitus, ranging from temporary noise induced symptoms to chronic, unrelenting squeals, whistles ( no pun intended) and hissing.
How do you cope with your tinnitus? For me, avoiding any loud noise, particularly if prolonged, using noise reduction headphones, and, as of yesterday, using noise canceling headphones has made it so I can actually play the piano and whistles again.
Attitude plays a huge role, too. Most people accommodate to their internal auditory accompaniment and develop strategies for coping with it. The following are coping mechanisms I use:
- leaving loud environments, when possible, or alternatively, turning the hearing aides off ( this also helps when singing different harmonies to the person on one side in choir or when someone goes on and on...)
- masking the tinnitus with instrumental music, nature sounds,
- stress reduction strategies, such as exercise, meditation, autohypnosis, yoga,
- Avoiding triggers, which will be different for each individual,
- keeping busy - focusing on something interesting can be a great distraction,
- Education and expert consultation. Visit national Tinnitus Associations. Be wary of sites offering the latest 'guaranteed miracle cure', if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
- maintain a positive attitude and connect with others who have tinnitus. You would be amazed how many fascinating people live well with internal accompaniment.
How do you cope with tinnitus?