“I’ve watched your videos, read your posts and tried the tools… but I just don’t see how anyone could habituate to my tinnitus. It’s so loud, so intrusive… it takes over everything and makes me anxious.” If this is how you feel, please know you're not alone. It's a place many of us have been and it can feel impossible to imagine things ever changing. 🙋‍♂️ My story As many of you already know, I went through severe tinnitus for many years. There was a point where it almost brought me down to my knees. I was in a really dark place and couldn’t see a way forward. It felt like tinnitus was running my life. But then something changed. I had a breakthrough. Slowly, things started to shift. And here I am today, sharing everything I’ve learned, all the tools, strategies, and approaches that helped me rebuild my life. My mission is to help you do the same. 🙏💙 🌱 There is a path forward Research and clinical experience show that people do move through stages of habituation, regardless of how loud or intrusive tinnitus feels. The American Tinnitus Association outlined four common stages that many people go through on their journey. It’s not a straight line. And not everyone moves at the same pace. But it gives us something very important: A map… and a sense of hope. I attached a simple visual of the 4 stages of habituation below. 👉 What stage do you feel you’re in right now? 👉 And what do you feel is the biggest challenge preventing you from moving to the next stage? Please vote and comment below. If you prefer, send me a direct message with your thoughts. I read every comment and message, and I’m here to help. 🙏 Yours truly, (your tinnitus) Guy.

Alright, it's Friday! Time for the next Leo update. This week we started working on sound alerts. 🚨 The goal is pretty simple: 👉 When there’s an important environmental sound, like a bell, alarm, something I should notice, Leo should come to me and poke my hand until I pay attention. So this is basically a two-step process. 1️⃣ Step one was teaching the actual behavior. Coming to me and pushing his nose into my hand repeatedly. For this, I used a small treat in my closed fist. At the beginning, he was just sniffing and trying to figure out how to get it. I only rewarded him when he actually touched or pushed my hand with his nose, multiple times in a row. So instead of one quick touch, he had to poke again… and again… and stay persistent. The idea was to build that behavior of: 👉 don’t give up, keep nudging until I respond After a few sessions, it clicked. 👍🐶 2️⃣ The second step is where it gets interesting. Now he needs to do that… because of a sound. 🚨 And this is not going that great so far. 😄 I’m using a remote bell that I placed near the door, so I can trigger it from anywhere. The idea is that when the bell rings, he comes to me and does the alert behavior. But here’s the problem: He’s smart enough to know when the sound actually means something. If someone is at the door, he already reacts on his own, barking, running to the door, showing me something is happening. That part is natural for him. But when I ring the bell remotely… He hears it, but he also knows there’s no one there. So from his point of view, it’s basically: “Okay… I hear it… but why should I care?” 🐶 Another funny part is that he’s already learned the first step too well. If he sees my hand move even a little bit, he assumes I have a treat and immediately comes to poke my hand. So now he’s reacting to my hand, not to the sound. What I’ve started doing now is hiding from him. 🏃‍➡️ I’ll go somewhere in the house where he can’t see me, ring the bell, and let him figure out that he needs to find me and do the alert.

And advice how to sleep better with Tinnitus? I had some bad nights and this worsens my T. Thanks.

I'm doing some research so I can offer you all more great content and services. Would really appreciate your vote AND comments. 🙏😁💙

For me, it wasn’t just the noise. It was communication. Back when I was working as a software product manager, my entire day was meetings, conversations, decisions. And suddenly… - I was missing details - Struggling to follow conversations - Losing track when multiple people were talking It honestly felt like I couldn’t do my job the way I used to... That was probably the hardest part for me. But at the same time… That struggle is also what pushed me to: - Understand what was actually happening - Change how I responded to it - And eventually start helping others And somehow, that led to this community. 💙 I wouldn’t call tinnitus a gift. Not by any stretch. But I’ve seen this over and over: 👉 The way we respond to it can either keep us stuck… 👉 or slowly push us to adapt, grow, and regain control I'm curious about you: 👉 What has been the hardest part of tinnitus (or TTTS, hyperacusis, etc.) in your life? I'd really love to hear your experience. 🙏