Tinnitus: Depression

For people with chronic severe tinnitus, insomnia and depression typically increase with flare ups. Mood also decreases as tinnitus flares up. Because the tinnitus is chronic the tinnitus sufferer can experience chronic insomnia and depression. It can feel like a roller coaster of emotions that increase and decrease randomly based on the level of tinnitus flare up.

Here are the steps to continuously overcoming the depression that may be secondary to the tinnitus:

1. Accept the fact that you have this condition. Your life will change. You may not enjoy doing the things that you used to enjoy doing. In fact, you may not feel like even moving.
2. Understand you are not the only one. Join a group like the American Tinnitus Association. They have a Facebook page for social networking.
3. Remain hopeful. Even though there is not a cure (yet) there will be a cure one day.
4. Watch comedy movies. Laughter is healthy and can shift your mood quickly.
5. Control your context. If a noise is aggravating your tinnitus then say so or leave the area. Don't just take it. You have a choice. It may be difficult and people may not be understanding but you cannot allow yourself to get worse. In short, don't be a people pleaser.
6. Change your context. If you are inside a building and feeling depressed or suicidal, then go outside and take a deep breath. If you are outside and feeling depressed or suicidal then go inside and take a deep breath. Call a friend or family member. Do this as often as needed until the thought pattern breaks. The important thing is to immediately interrupt those thoughts by suddenly changing your environment.
7. Focus on what you can do as opposed to what you used to be able to do. If your arms or legs work then you can exercise them. Why not join an exercise class? Use weights at home. Get moving.
8. If you are avoiding people entirely. Force yourself out to lunch with a friend.
9. If you fear that people will think that you are weird. Guess what? Everyone is weird in some way. Consider that, eventually, everyone on the planet becomes sick or disabled in some way at some point in their lives.
10. If you are worried about social stigmas. Don't be. You cannot help that you have this condition.