Abby,, wow, thank you so much. Congrats on having only one more semester to go.

I do relaxation already at least every night and that helps.

I do not believe any kind of CBT is useful, sorry. I have a therapist of another orientation.

My hearing loss is in the conversation range and my tinnitus is very high pitched mostly and is constant. I know i notice it more when things are quiet. I just want to have quiet like other people do.

Thank you for the reminder about caffeine. I don't drink much any more but I think I have had more lately that could be making it worse. Salt is not a problem in my diet and I don't drink any alcohol but I do like my coffee and even decaf actually has caffeine in it.
Yes HA are so ridiculously expensive and that makes to sense to me especially with so many tech gadgets out there these days that are not expensive. They are just toys and we need aids for everyday life, to work, communicate, be safe in our environment! I need two but have only one because it's all I can afford. But it's a good one and is a programmable digital. The clarity is amazing compared to my previous aids (I've worn them all my adult life).

Unfortunately I can't be in noisy places. I need to be in quiet places. I don't want background noise, white noise, or radio static. I just want peace and quiet for once. Constant noise whether it's the tinnitus or a radio or television makes me anxious. Music can help but I really prefer quiet.

Thank you very much for taking your time and sharing your vast knowledge! You're going to be a great audiologist!