Protective Gear

At first, I was uncertain. How would I live with my own personal white noise tailing me like a spy? I couldn’t make a James Bond escape. A daunting shadow stalked me for days because the constant hiss felt claustrophobic though I’ve never been…but then time doesn’t concern itself with rest, and I learned to tune it out (the irony). So, to you who reassured me that life goes on despite the hiss, I offer my deepest gratitude. And then I rotated my thoughts, tumbling them in the frontal lobe like clothes in a Kenmore dryer, until my attitude experienced a transformation. My personal noise became protective gear, shielding me from unwanted hubbub in the world, carrying a more soothing cause than threatening.

We deal with the hands we’re dealt, but some take more grit than others to navigate. This should be acknowledged, so navigation time is subject to personal situations. Yet, in doing so, we create our own rules, bringing a whisper of warmth settling over us like being wrapped in the comfort of a cashmere blanket.

try inviting in
a positive perspective
to alleviate

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

© Lauren Scott, Baydreamerwrites.com
This blog content cannot be used to train AI.

This post is a follow-up to my original “Hiss”
in case you missed it.

Photo by SlipcoverKAS .COM on Pexels.com 
Happy Monday, and I wish you a wonderful week! ❤️

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92 thoughts on “Protective Gear

    1. Unfortunately, there is no cure, but learning to live with it instead of letting it consume us is a better, healthier option. Hang in there, Jacqui, and I will to. I just wanted to write a more optimistic and inspiring post about it as a follow-up. You and my friends in this community who have it truly helped me get through to the mindset I’m in now. 💞

  1. Hi Lauren
    Attitude is everything isnt it.
    I watched Frida on Saturday on DVD , what an inspiration Frida Khalo was.
    We can endure more than we know.
    That said, it sucks sometimes 🙄
    I have never had tinnutis.
    I can’t imagine it .
    Big hugs and much love to you dear friend xoxoxo

    1. It sure is, Maggie, and yes, we can endure more than we think, but yes also that these ailments suck sometimes! 🙃 I hope you never get it. Now I can see how it could really mess up a mind if allowed. Anyway, thanks for the hugs. I’m fine (that infamous 4-letter ‘f’ word!) 😁 And big hugs and lots of love flowing back to you! xoxoxoxo 😍❤️

  2. Although I willingly accepted the fact that the radio hum I hear is not planning on going anywhere soon- it never occurred to me to think of it as blocking out that which I choose not to hear! I love that.

    1. I still hope mine is temporary, Violet, but I have a feeling it’s here to stay. I had to look for the silver lining, and so these thoughts came to mind. I’m glad you love it too. Take good care, and I’m sorry you also have to deal with it. 💕

  3. What a wonderful attitude and well chosen words you have created to deal with this Lauren! I applaud you and your choice. It’s like me living by the freeway …. Some days are worse than others and the white noise is doable.
    There is an advantage of not doing the surgery I could get! The hearing aide works well at this point! Oh the never ending laundry list of body parts lol🙄😘

    1. Thanks so much, Cindy! There has to be a positive. But some things are much more serious and daunting, so to find a positive might be more difficult. I’m glad you’re doing okay without surgery, but I didn’t know you wore a hearing aide. Like you said, the ending laundry list of body parts! 🙂 ❤️🥰

      1. You’re so welcome, Lauren! I’m sorry, that’s tough and the plethora of things is daunting…. I know. It’s like someone invaded at tones but we keep on keeping on.
        🩷

    1. It’s definitely a strange thing to deal with, isn’t it, Sheila? I’m sorry it found you too! I was thinking that there must be a positive, even metaphorical, and these thoughts came to mind. Try to think of yours like a protective gear. Focus on the cashmere. 🙂 💞

  4. Yes, yes, this is the way many of us live with tinnitus. Eventually accept the ‘white noise’ (and mine is on a higher octave than other times. Sometimes like a distant whistle, other times a consistent tea kettle). But the more I ignore it, the quieter it gets. A paradox, yes? Thank you for the post – glad to feel you’re doing better. xo

    1. I love how you describe yours as a consistent tea kettle, Pam. That’s the writer in you and so clever. Tinnitus is such a strange thing, isn’t it? Yes, I’ve learned to ignore it like you. But even though I sleep without a noise machine at night, it does seem to get louder when my head hits the pillow. But I tune it out and drift into a slumber. I’m so glad this post resonated, and thanks for your kind words. ❤️

  5. That is exactly so, my dearest friend and you couldn’t have said it any better! I always believed that ‘negative’ situations are the best teachers. Perfect mindset! 😉

    Love and many many hugs!

    xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

  6. Oh Lauren, what you’ve shared is not only poetic, but deeply resonant. That shift from claustrophobia to comfort, from stalked to shielded, is a profound act of inner alchemy. You’ve turned a persistent presence—the hiss—into a kind of guardian, a filter for the world’s excess, and in doing so, you’ve offered a powerful lesson in perspective and adaptation. Thank you for sharing your journey so openly and poetically. You’ve invited us into your world and, in doing so, helped make sense of our own quiet noises—those things that hum beneath the surface of our days.

    1. Wow, Rebecca, thank you SO much for your amazing response to this honest piece. Tinnitus is a strange thing to deal with and it doesn’t come with an on/off switch. There is no escaping, so I had to find a silver lining, and these thoughts came to mind. Sometimes, I literally have to remind myself to think ‘happy thoughts.’ This condition could be consuming if I let it, but I can’t because then it would be debilitating, affecting not only me but also my family. Thanks again for your wonderful, compassionate words. ❤️

      1. Thanks, Rebecca. I’m sorry your brother has it too, but hope the hearing aids help. I’m not there yet. So far, it’s manageable, and I can’t help but hope for a miracle that it’s temporary. Hugs ❤️

  7. What a compelling and wise word of advice to feed us today Lauren.

    Love “a whisper of warmth settling over us like being wrapped in the comfort of a cashmere blanket.”

    Priceless my friend. 😊🙏🏼😍

    1. Thanks so much, Kym. I almost didn’t share this, but then I changed my mind. I hope it helps others who have tinnitus or a health issue that is affecting their spirits. I’m glad you liked that line too. Hugs and love! xoxoxoxoxo

      1. Oh Lauren, do take care of yourself. 🙏🏼 You never know how much your words can resonate to those who need it the most my friend. Hugs and smooches! 🤗💖😘

  8. My tinnitus is very low-key, fortunately, and it only becomes a problem when I’m exhausted as it seems to intensify (that constant static hiss). One thing I do experience semi-regularly is head noise, a strange phenomena where damaged nerves are firing, sending corrupted electrical impulses to the hearing processing center in the brain. These “sounds” are not sounds per se–they mimic sounds. I’ve experienced such a wide variety of head noise throughout the duration of my deafness, it’s sort of weird and even entertaining at times. For the past few weeks, I’ve had head noise in my right ear that sounds exactly like a bird singing, chirruping happily away. It reminds me of my pre-deafness years as a kid on the farm when the birds in the elm tree outside my bedroom window seemed so loud. It’s been the only “bird song” I’ve experienced in decades. Strange, but enjoyable nonetheless.

    I hope your tinnitus lessens. I know some folks deal with intense tinnitus and it can be devastating. Hang in there, my friend. 😊

    1. I’m sorry you have tinnitus too, Mike, but I’m glad it’s low-key. But the head noise would be interesting, and yet, it doesn’t seem to bother you, which is good. Hearing something like birds singing wouldn’t be bad either. Did it take you a while to ‘get used to it?’

      I had hoped mine was temporary, but it may be here to stay. So, I had to find something positive, and that’s when this piece came to mind. There’s no escaping the noise, so I had to accept it and find a way to live with it. Hearing how others deal with it really helped too. I’m hanging in there, and you do the same, my friend. 🥰

      1. I’ve been deaf for so long now (progressive hearing loss due to meningitis at age 18) that I hardly notice the tinnitus now. Occasionally, I’ll get a really loud “sound” in one ear that lasts for about an hour or so, and it’s like I’ve got a huge fan a foot from my ear. Pretty loud. I’ll stick my fingers in my ears and, of course, nothing happens because it’s not a real sound, but rather tinnitus or head noise. But, yes, I’ve become accustomed to it at this point, but I know some folks have a really hard time dealing with tinnitus. I don’t mind the head noise, to be honest. It’s a little distracting, but not too much. It always occurs in just one ear or the other. Coos like mourning doves, cricket/insect sounds, sea gull cries, the rumble of large rocks tumbling down a well (that one is weird, for sure). Just part and parcel of being deaf, with damaged auditory nerves.

        I hope yours dissipates and you don’t have to worry about it anymore. 😊

      2. I’m sorry you’ve dealt with hearing loss, Mike, but it sounds like you’ve adjusted to everything. Even your comments are poetic, my friend. I just found out that I have mild hearing loss in my left ear and I had no idea. Maybe the tinnitus was caused by this. They don’t know. It’s so mild that it doesn’t affect everyday life. Oh well, one day at a time is how I live and all I can do, along with finding the silver lining or seeing the good. Thanks for your wishes. Until then, it’s white noise that can drown out cacophony from the white house. 🙂 Metaphor or not, it helps. Sending hugs!

  9. Wise words, Lauren. “My personal noise became protective gear, shielding me from unwanted hubbub in the world…” Does this work on tuning out a certain politician in Washington? Grin.

  10. Fortunately I don’t have to deal with that issue but do struggle with other issues of aging. You are right a positive mind frame with lots of laughter helps make each day a happy one despite the health problems.

  11. I say the same thing about my poor hearing. It can be looked at as a blessing sometimes instead of a curse, having the ability to not listen to all the unnecessary clamor of loud and ignorant voices.

    1. Thanks so much, Wynne! If we linger in a doom-gloom mindset (which I’ve done before), we will only hurt ourselves, mentally and possibly physically. So, I try and that’s all I can do. I hope this post helps others in whatever they’re dealing with. Finding gratitude regardless of obstacles is a big win! xo

  12. Dearest Lauren, you have changed your perspective on the condition that landed in your body so suddenly, and I take my hat off to you. What a way to view it. You are fabulous, my dear friend. Please be proud of yourself. Much love and many hugs. Xxxxx 🩷🦄🌻🩷

    1. Aww, thanks, Jane. I’ve only done what is needed because if I stay in a ‘downer of a mood’ I’ll only hurt myself in more ways than one, let alone, my family. It’s a choice. I am proud but it isn’t easy. Perspective is definitely an eye-opener. Lots of love and hugs flowing your way, my friend xoxoxoxo❤️🥰🦋

  13. Attitude is everything, Lauren. Some days, I do well at tuning out the hissing, and other days, it gets on my last nerve. But, I find if I focus on a song or two, the hissing is a lot less noticeable. 🤫🎶

    1. It sure is, Eugi, and I know how you feel. When my head hits the pillow at night, the hiss seems louder. And I literally have said out loud, “Wow! This is so strange!” But then I shift to happy thoughts, and eventually fall asleep. We all deal with something at all levels of discomfort, so we have to find a way to move through them so that we can see the silver lining. Focusing on other things that bring me joy like you do works too. Hang in there, and thanks for chiming in! Hugs! 🥰

  14. It’s unfortunate that there’s no cue for it, but like many chronic conditions, you have to make adjustments and try to live with it the best you can.

    1. Thanks, Robbie, and you’re so right. In the beginning, it’s hard to imagine that adapting is possible. Time is a funny thing, isn’t it? I hope you never get it though, and hope you’re doing well. xo

    1. Thanks so much, Ritish, and ‘no small thing’ is so true. I’m glad you loved this piece. I wanted to share a brighter one from my original poem. The silver lining deserved the spotlight. 🙂 Wishing you the same, and thanks again for stopping by. ❤️

  15. Hi Lauren, glad you’ve been able to adjust, to the new diagnosis, I know it is tough, but your right, we must accept what we’re given, some have it tougher than others, accept, move on, yes, that is what I try to do, not easy, but keep on keeping on, you’ll get there my friend! ❤

    1. Thanks for your compassionate words, Carol Anne, and you are an inspiration. I will always live by one day at a time. That’s all we can do. And if one minute or one hour fits better, then so be it. Hugs, my friend 💞

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