What is something nobody tells you, but you wish you knew earlier?

I wish someone told me earlier about the downsides of wearing noise-canceling headphones.

Today I learned that the high-pitched noise in my ear is tinnitus.

I wouldn’t wish this sh*t on my worst enemy.

Tinnitus fits the definition of insanity.

Imagine every moment of your day being punctuated by a deafening high-pitched noise. That’s what my life is now like.

How it happened

I spent my youth in nightclubs and playing drums. By my 20s, I gave up music.

But I still loved listening to music and pumping tunes.

Rewind to two years ago.

My girlfriend gifted me a pair of Bose noise-canceling headphones.

I’ve said many times online that these headphones help me get into a deep flow state and block out all the noise.

The problem is I f*cked it up.

I’ve worn the headphones most days for the last 2 years during the entire 8-hour workday.

2.5 weeks ago, the high-pitched noise I used to get after work stopped going away like it normally does.

I saw the doctor today and got told it’s tinnitus.

Oh … and there’s no cure.

Takeaway

Wearing headphones every day can screw up your ears.

• Lower the volume of your music (by a lot).
• Take breaks from headphones.
• Have days where you don’t wear headphones.
• Wear earplugs at loud concerts.
• Use speakers in your office instead of in-ear headphones.

I have no idea how I’m going to live with this. But I must.

Don’t be a d*ckhead like I was. You get one pair of ears. Look after them.