I have had tinnitus on and off for the last 20+ years, it is thought to be part of my vestibular migraine condition.
I can remember first becoming aware of it and wondering how the hell I could carry on with this incessant whistling and whooshing in my ear. The more frustrated I got the louder the tinnitus became - as if mocking me. It kind of took on a life of it's own. Around this time I went to Milan on a business trip (just working on an exhibition stand - so not as glamorous as it sounds!) and I remember the sheer effort and energy it took to really hear people over the sound in my ear. I wondered how I could go on with this annoying sound always there. There were some occasions when I thought I might go mad. Luckily for me after a few months the sound subsided a little (or maybe I just got used to them) and I was able to go about my daily life without it troubling me too much. But over the years it has returned on many occasions - sometimes very loud and staying with me for months on end.
Now I have a regular yoga and meditation practice I do find it easier to deal with, when the sound is there, it's just there. I can interpret that sound as annoying or upsetting but that is my choice.....or I can think to myself, it is a sound my brain is perceiving, it is not going to kill me. I even use the sound sometimes as an anchor for my awareness when in meditation, much like I use my breath as focus for awareness. Using the Tibetan singing bowls has also helped me feel like I have some sort of control over it.
The lessons I learnt from this were to change my own perceptions - I don't have a choice about the tinnitus - it is there most of the time, but I can control my response to it. I can soften my shoulders, slow my breathing and listen with interest to what sound it decides to be today! I think this technique can be applied to many situations in life, so maybe you don't have an annoying sound in your ear - maybe you have an annoying person/situation in your life. You can be in control of your response to them.......you have the choice.......
I have also found some relief using a product called Hush Tinnitus, these are sounds which you can download and listen to in order to gain relief both whilst listening and for some people the effect lasts for some time after. Binaural beats are also a useful tool - there are many on You Tube which you may want to have a listen to (with headphones)
I know there are millions of people who also experience this condition, so I hope this post has helped some of those people realise that they have control over their response to it (and to everything)
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