This quote is very appropriate for tinnitus rehabilitation, and what I speak of with clients individually.
We all know those thoughts:
I wish it were different 😖 I never planned for this! 😫 Why is this happening to me?! 😤 It’s ruined my life! 😭 I will never be the same again! 😰
I’m here tso say: Yes, it’s a fact, your life IS different, things have changed, BUT you must accept the reality and learn how to work with it and not against it. This is not easy, far from it, but it is necessary to understand this concept in order to rehabilitate.
Why?
Because: What you resist persists.
Do you know what the life-saving instruction is when you get caught in a rip tide? It is to stay calm, don't fight it thrashing around the place, try to stay afloat and go with the flow. It's absolutely petrifying. The rip will take you under, it will pull you far out to sea, but you will pop up eventually at the other side with your life intact, and breathing again.
If you fight against it however, then you will likely drown. Game Over.
The same applies to tinnitus. I see it day-in-day-out. First, understand the nature of tinnitus, learn skills to remain calm, ride the wave and its fluctuations, and learn the skills to navigate it from a specialist guiding you.
You will arise on the other side of it, living the life you thought was previously once 'over.'
It's not over. Far from it. You just need to learn the skills to navigate it appropriately. Tinnitus distress CAN be reduced. I do this full-time, I see it happen Monday - Friday on repeat with a variety of cases, a variety of people, a variety of medical histories and concerns.
Point is you can do this! However, acceptance of reality, (instead of fighting) is the key that opens the gateway to genuine restoration of mind and body, and yes, even the ability to remove your focus from tinnitus and get your life back on track, a life that is new and undiscovered and is waiting for you.
Acceptance does not mean giving up, it means allowing yourself the mental and physical space to breathe, restore, and recover (holding too tight a grip only backtracks your progress).
In wellness, and walking into the promising future that I know awaits you.
Marie-Chantal x
Comments