No matter your age, discovering that you are dealing with progressive or rapid hearing loss can make you feel as though you are being separated from the world around you. As such, it is only natural that this sense of alienation can cause people to develop feelings of anger or sadness or even more serious issues like anxiety or depression. While there may not be things that you can do to cure or alleviate the physical symptoms, there are ways that you can navigate the emotions that you experience throughout these changes. To better help you throughout this process, here are five tips for managing the emotional stress of hearing loss.
1. Take the time to understand your disorder and what you can do to experience relief
The first step in creating a plan that will help you better deal with your hearing loss and any negative emotions that accompany it is learning more about your medical condition (and what can be done about it).
For example, let’s imagine that you have been dealing with severe tinnitus.
As you may already know, tinnitus is described as a ringing, buzzing, or humming sound that can accompany specific types of hearing loss.
Tinnitus symptoms can be quite impactful, causing depression and anxiety in most individuals who have severe tinnitus.
Rather than enjoying the sounds of the world as you previously did, these unpleasant external sounds may follow you where you go, making it harder for you to lead your day-to-day life.
Rather than simply letting this chronic condition run your life, do what you can to learn more about it, what a cure for tinnitus may look like, and, if there is no cure for your specific situation, what can be done to make the symptoms of tinnitus less impactful on your life as you navigate your hearing loss. A step that’s well worth considering is wearing digital rechargeable hearing aids.
With the right plan of action, you may be able to decrease the severity of your symptoms and find peace as you navigate this new challenge.
2. Allow yourself to acknowledge and process your emotions as they come
Some may suppress their emotions in an attempt to convince themselves and those around them that they are fine.
The problem?
Suppressing your emotions may instead contribute to mental health challenges that you are experiencing and prevent you from healing and leading a better quality of life.
Instead, acknowledge your emotions and allow yourself to process and feel whatever may come up for you in regards to your hearing loss.
Although it will be difficult, seeking to feel and heal will help you work through your situation much more efficiently than attempting to bottle up your emotions. T
his brings us to our next tip!
3. Consider seeking out professional help for overwhelming emotions or mental illness
Some emotions are ones that we can handle on our own.
When we are dealing with overwhelming feelings or serious mental illness, however, we need the support of others to learn how to cope with what we are feeling.
If your emotions are overwhelming you, consider reaching out to a resource like WithTherapy for help.
Finding the right counseling can be difficult, but WithTherapy provides you with support by helping you connect to the right therapists for your mental health needs.
All you have to do to get started is answer a couple of questions regarding your preferences and let WithTherapy find personalized matches that work perfectly for your current situation.
Remember, hearing loss is still a loss.
It can always help to have a professional willing to walk by our side and guide us through the grief that we may be feeling!
You can easily compare the best Medicare Advantage and Medicare Supplement plans too.
4. Find ways to work around common issues and triggers
Hearing loss can present a host of challenges that were not previously present in your lifestyle.
However, every problem often has a solution.
Look for ways to improve your communication with those around you, whether that means teaching others how to properly communicate so that you can understand them, finding tools that boost your hearing capabilities, and looking for new ways to enjoy sound in your life. Look for solutions that help you work around your problems and life can seem a whole lot brighter.
5. Turn to relaxation exercises when your condition becomes too overwhelming
As you deal with the side effects of your hearing condition, there will be days where you cope well and days where you may be extremely frustrated.
For days that do not go as well, have relaxation exercises on hand like deep breathing, meditation, or even self-help practices like hot baths or massages that serve to alleviate your negative thoughts.
These types of exercises will help you reduce stress, reclaim your peace, and work through whatever difficult feelings you may be experiencing.
Just remember, much like treatments for your hearing loss, these types of exercises may take time and practice to provide positive effects.
The loss of normal hearing would be a shock to anyone who found themselves face-to-face with this problem.
Fortunately, there are ways to make peace with your condition and lead a happier lifestyle.
If you are dealing with hearing loss and are finding it difficult to cope with your emotions, use the five tips above to better manage your stress as you navigate this new way of life.
