Tinnitus might not be something you worry about too much when you initially begin experiencing it. Despite being slightly annoying, the hissing, ringing, or buzzing sounds are usually easily ignorable at first.
It is when you notice they are not going away, however, that they really start taking a toll on you: sleeping may become harder, as well as focusing on a task or activity. These issues can have an adverse effect on many areas of your day-to-day life, including work.
Coping with the condition at the workplace can be a challenge, but this is not to say that there is nothing you can do about it. In truth, there are many practical steps you can take to help relieve the symptoms you’re experiencing and improve your general wellbeing.
Intentionally Changing Your Focus
One of the most useful skills you can adopt to help you manage your tinnitus symptoms while at work is the skill of consciously re-directing your focus away from them. Since everyone’s tinnitus experience is different, or subjective, it can be affected by a range of factors, especially by the direction in which your attention is focused.
The more you concentrate on the symptoms, the louder they will seem to you, and the more triggering they will be to your nervous system. This will not only lead you to focusing on the tinnitus even more, but will also prevent you from paying full attention to other things.
Mindfully directing your attention to your current work task is one of the best strategies to avoid falling into this cycle. It will both help take your mind off your symptoms and boost your job performance.
Being Mindful of Your Environment
Spaces in which you can hear light background noise can help drown out the tinnitus and take your attention away from it. An open-plan office, for example, can be beneficial for that. A quiet meeting room, on the other hand- not so much. Arriving at the meeting a few minutes earlier will allow your nervous system to adjust to the environment and help keep you calm and relaxed.
When the sounds within an environment are very loud, however, (e.g., if you work in construction), they can make the tinnitus even more intrusive. In these cases, it can be helpful to have a pair of high-quality earplugs designed to cancel out loud noises.
Avoiding Stress and Anxiety
Research has demonstrated that stress can be a huge trigger for tinnitus symptoms. In turn, the symptoms themselves can be a major contributor for higher stress levels. This can make people suffering from tinnitus feel like they are trapped in a never-ending cycle: stress and anxiety make the tinnitus worse, and then the symptoms themselves make those affected feel more stressed and anxious.
To avoid falling into this vicious circle, it is essential to manage your stress levels at work effectively and consistently. One way to do this is by leaving home a bit earlier to make sure that you have enough time to reach your workplace. This will help avoid anxiety caused by bad traffic or busy public transport. Making sure you go to bed on time and are able to get a sufficient amount of sleep also helps. Setting clear boundaries and not agreeing to unrealistic tasks, expectations or deadlines is just as vital.
Investing in Tinnitus Relief Products
To manage your tinnitus as effectively as possible, it is best to use a holistic approach by combining multiple coping strategies. You can do this by using equipment specifically designed to relieve tinnitus along with relaxation/mindfulness techniques, etc.
We at Hearing Aid Accessory offer a robust range of targeted equipment created to help you cope with and stay in control of tinnitus, including white noise machines, sound therapy systems, and many other. If you’d like to have a look, you can browse our shop by clicking the button below!
