TinNOtus

Say NO To Tinnitus!

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Stage 6: Growing Beyond Tinnitus

∾ The “Your Life is Now Bigger Than the Noise” Stage ∾

Tinnitus can shrink your world if you let it. This stage is all about reversing that. The more you expand your life, your routines, your joys, and your sense of purpose, the less space tinnitus takes up in your mind. This isn’t some fluffy Facebook quote, it’s genuinely how habituation works. Your brain attaches importance to what you focus on. So let’s give it more important, joyful, meaningful things to play with.

This stage is where you step into the version of yourself who isn’t “coping with tinnitus”, but actually thriving as a human who just happens to have tinnitus in the background.

↪ Let’s walk through five core areas where people successfully grow beyond the noise:

1. Build Meaningful Routines (Your brain thrives on rhythm)

⇨ A scattered day = a scattered mind.

⇨ A steady rhythm = calmer nervous system = calmer tinnitus response.

You don’t need a “perfect” routine. You need a kind routine.

Examples you can play with:

A grounding morning ritual
A daily walk
A simple wind-down routine before bed
A “tech off” hour or day
A short breathing practice
Jamming to your favourite tune
Tickle a tortoise (or whatever pet you have access to)

The magic isn’t in what you choose, but in having something predictable enough that your body feels safe again. Safety = less hyper-vigilance = tinnitus becomes less central.

2. Move Your Body (Your brain loves movement)

Movement is one of the fastest ways to calm an overstimulated nervous system.

Walking, stretching, weights, cycling, dancing like a gremlin — whatever feels doable.

When your body feels strong and released, your mind settles. And when your mind settles, habituation accelerates. Movement also floods your brain with chemicals that improve mood, focus, and resilience, which directly counterbalance anxiety-fuelled tinnitus spikes.

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3. Rediscover Pleasure & Joy

This one sounds simple, but it’s so powerful.

When tinnitus hits our life, we often subconsciously stop doing things that bring us joy, because:

⇨ we're overwhelmed

⇨ we're scared

⇨ we don’t feel “in the mood”

⇨ or we’re just stuck in survival mode

But joy grows your world again. Joy rewires the brain. Joy reminds you, “Hey… I’m still here.”

Try creating a “Joy Menu”:

A list of 20 things that make you feel good, relaxed, creative, or alive.

Pick one each day. That can be small, silly, crazy or unbelievably boring. Here's one I've created to show you it's OK not to fit in, I mean to show how it works. I’m sharing one I wrote a few years ago. Feel free to laugh at it or use it. Up to you!

Marie's Joy Menu

Narrate making the world’s most dramatic cup of tea.
Going for a walk and noticing the trees.
Calling or texting someone I care about.
Sticking my face in fresh air like a dog with its head out the window. Not whilst driving of course.
Listening to a song that makes me go all nostalgic and gooey.
Talking to my plants as if they’re underperforming employees.
Sitting by a window and watching the world go by.
Doing something creative such as doodling, colouring, writing, taking a photo.
Planning something small to look forward to tomorrow.
Watching birds argue over crumbs like tiny feathered gangsters.
Eating a snack I definitely didn’t plan to eat.
Dancing terribly to one song, and only one song. Because I'm actually a good dancer according to my blind dog.
Going outside and staring at clouds like I’m solving the universe.
Cooking something comforting and familiar.
Doing a simple stretch routine for 3–5 minutes.
Watching a favourite comfort show.
Sitting in total silence like a monk who’s had enough of everyone.
Going outside for a bit of fresh air.
Making an outrageously cosy nest of blankets for no reason at all.
Letting myself do absolutely nothing for 10 minutes and calling it “self-care.”

4. Expand Your Identity

Tinnitus has a sneaky way of making itself part of your identity. You catch yourself thinking: “I’m someone with tinnitus” instead of “I’m someone who loves hiking, or writing, or baking, or gaming… and yeah, I have tinnitus in the background sometimes.”

You expand your identity by consciously reconnecting with the parts of you that existed before the ringing, and letting new parts in too.

Try asking yourself:

⇨ Who was I before tinnitus stole my attention?

⇨ What parts of myself do I want to reconnect with?

⇨ What roles, skills, or passions do I want to grow into?

You’re bigger than the noise.

This stage helps you feel that truth.

5. Build a Life That Naturally Reduces Stress

Tinnitus rarely improves by attacking tinnitus itself. It improves by improving your whole wellbeing.

This is where long-term nervous system health comes into play:

Good sleep habits
Eating in a way that supports energy
Making movement part of your everyday, no matter how small
Gentle exposure to silence
Boundaries that protect your peace
Finding supportive people
Reducing stimulation when needed
Increasing stimulation when you feel better

When your stress baseline lowers, tinnitus stops feeling like a threat. And once your brain stops treating it like a threat, habituation becomes effortless.

〰

Stage 6 — What to Remember

You’re not “coping” — you’re living.
Setbacks aren’t failures; they’re normal brain blips.
You have the tools to stay steady.
Your life is bigger than the noise — and you get to prove it daily.

Questions for stage 6

You can also download the PDF ebook version below ↓

1. What does a “bigger life” look like for you? What would your days look like if tinnitus wasn’t a central part of your attention?

2. Three meaningful routines you want to try:

3. Your Joy Menu (Fill in at least 10 items):

4. Who were you before tinnitus? What parts of that person do you want to reclaim?

5. Who are you becoming now? What new strengths, skills, or values are emerging in you? What parts of that person do you want to reclaim?

Closing thought for Stage 6

This is the chapter of your journey where tinnitus stops being the main character. Not because you force it out, but because your life becomes so full and rich and meaningful that there’s simply no room for it to star in the show anymore.

You’re no longer just “managing tinnitus”. You’re building a self, a life, and a world that feels whole again.

And tinnitus?

It just becomes background noise — exactly where it belongs.