Rocking out with tinnitus!

Last night I found a new metal band - well new to me. In fact I'm playing them now as I type this post.

I do love me a bit of heavy metal or hard rock. That often comes as a bit of a surprise to the tinnitus tribe.

1. I don’t look like your typical metalhead! Here’s a reminder…

And 2. it’s not the first choice of music for most people who have sound rattling around their head all day.

Once I started on my tinnitus healing journey, music was one of the first things I returned to. I've loved music ever since I was a youngster. I had a young mum and we would spend breakfast time singing along to the latest hits on Radio 1 while munching on our cereal.

I developed this weird musical existence where I would be singing church music, playing classical music in various ensembles, and rocking out to Iron Maiden in my bedroom. I loved it!

I still have pretty eclectic music tastes, and pick what I want to listen to depending on my mood - whether that’s Eric Whitacre or Ludovico Einaudi while I’m writing, or Staind and Shinedown while I’m making dinner.

Regardless of what I’m listening to I have three golden rules:

1. I listen to my ears. If they start ringing, the music goes off

2. Whether I’m listening in the car, via a speaker, or through headphones I take regular listening breaks to give my ears and brain a breather.

3. I keep a check on the volume. How low I keep it varies from day to day, and depending on how I’m listening. I can have it reasonably loud if I’m in a room, and the speaker is a good way away. But if I’m in the car or listening via headphones I’m careful not to turn the dial too high. Not only can loud music make our tinnitus temporarily worse, it can also make our hearing permanently worse. And neither of those will help me enjoy my music.

If you’d like more hints and tips on taming the tinnitus tiger, don’t forget to check out my courses and coaching.

If you like what you have read, please share it with other members of the Tinnitus Tribe. Tinnitus can be so difficult to live with, and I'd like as many people as possible to benefit from the tips and tactics in this newsletter.