Tinnitus Group Recap December 2019

Happy Holidays! Moving into December with all the festivities and family is an exciting time! For those living with Tinnitus, it can also be tricky with group environments. This month we discussed some group strategies and how partners can support in those situations.

It is the hope that through this group, anyone with Tinnitus can join in to find support from others who have Tinnitus, learn about new therapies to try, possibly test out some of them out, and ultimately find hope in knowing they are not alone.

Let’s dive into this month’s topic!

This Month’s Group

This month we were joined by 3 individuals with Tinnitus and their spouses. These individuals have all had Tinnitus for a number of years and tried out a variety of therapies to bring down the ringing. In groups, many of them already have strategies that work well for them. We also discussed some new tactics to try too.

Holidays and Large Groups

All of us could agree, we look forward to the holidays and seeing family. It’s a wonderful time bringing everyone together… all the excitement, all the noise; talk about loud!

With each person, their tolerance for loud environments varies – one can handle small groups of around 5-6 people max, another it’s really only one-on-one. Knowing your limit can help you plan and prepare for those environments.

• Leaving the room for a few moments if it gets too loud (one individual goes and does the dishes as a way to distract himself – great for all those Christmas dinner dishes too!). Matt call’s these his “introvert breaks.”
• Planning to go during your peak hours, when you aren’t too fatigued. This may mean having a lunch get together or an early dinner. For one member, his best time frame is between 11 and 2, after that his fatigue levels increase the tinnitus in the evenings.
• Turn the music off. For some people with Tinnitus or Meiner’s, music just sounds distorted and can be very distracting.
• Take extra equipment. If you wear hearing aids, great, those will help, but you may need more assistance with groups. Noise-canceling headphones, a portable noise machine, etc. can give you that added masking to make groups more comfortable.
• Enjoy your time together. The joy of being with your kids or grandkids may offset the stress of the group setting and keep the tinnitus at bay.
• More at the British Tinnitus Association.

The key here is being prepared. Knowing that things may happen;  the tinnitus may flare up, that you aren’t going to understand everything said, and that you may need more breaks than others, etc. all of those things are OKAY. It’s how we handle them that can determine the outcome of the time together with family.

Spousal/Partner Support

There may have been a few jokes about ‘a swift kick to the shins’ is a good indicator it’s time to go 😉

But in some cases having a subtle (or not so subtle), gesture or code word for when you need a break or are ready to leave may be beneficial. Although with family, you may not need something so subtle, in public or with co-workers/friends this may work great for you.

I, personally, have used code-words in various situations in my life. When I was babysitting, if I called my mom asking her to bring my ‘purple sweatshirt,’ she knew something was wrong and I needed her asap. My husband and I even have little things we do when one or both of us are ready to leave a social event.

Your partner walks through this with you every day. In these situations they can be your biggest advocate, maybe to remind people of how to best communicate with you, and your best ally to navigate those situations.

Next Month’s (and Year’s) Topic

The next time we meet will be in 2020! We have lots of exciting sessions planned for the new year. If you have any topics you would like us to look into just let us know.

In January, we will be discussing the benefits of acupuncture with Jesse Jacob. Bring your questions!

Please give us a call if you have questions or to let us know you’ll be attending – 705-749-0707.

If you missed last month’s group, that’s okay, check out our recap blog! On member of the group tried out Neurotherapy and found it to be very calming; more sessions would be needed to find out if it affected her Tinnitus.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!