I have tinnitus. I don't recommend it

I feel terrible because I never did anything wrong. I never went to a concert. I never worked around loud things for prolonged periods. I never listened to music too loud. I have tinnitus. It seems to go up in intensity when my TMD acts up, but it never goes completely away. Mine isn't nearly debilitating, but I worry that it's going to get worse with time.

I have had tinnitus for as long as I have been forming memories. As a child I called it "the sound of silence" and thought everyone heard it.

Never bothered me much. Its much worse now at times. Still doesnt bother me much

I'm in the same boat for the most part. Always had tinnitus, for as long as I can remember. Doesn't bother me at all.

However, for the past 3 or 4 years, during spring, I get much worse tinnitus in my right ear for a couple weeks. It appears to be caused by some kind of blockage in my inner ear due to the inevitable viruses we catch during the winter. It's louder and a lower pitch (around 3 kHz, unlike my 10+ kHz normal one), and even though it's not the first time this happens by now, it's still extremely annoying. It's harder to just ignore, and my mind immediately starts thinking "what if this lasts forever?"

So I can imagine that for those who develop tinnitus at adulthood, it can cause a lot more distress, because they lived the "before".