We have all experienced times when we have struggled to hear.
With the current pandemic, we are all far more in tune with our environments, our health and our need for human connection. Part of this human connection is communication with each other and as we often cannot be together face-to-face, so we have to rely on the telephone, digital technology and other devices.
When we are at home for long periods of time our health concerns can be exaggerated. For example, because you are reading more or looking at a screen more often you may have realised that your eyesight has changed. You may have realised that your taste has changed for certain foods due to slightly less activity during the day or maybe they have improved through some culinary experimentation! You may have realised that you are turning the television up more or having to have subtitles on. There may have been little arguments with others in the household due to not being able to hear correctly from room to room.
Hearing outside can also be an issue especially when you are not looking directly at the person you want to hear when, for example, you are walking alongside them and there is wind noise as well. Traffic noise and hearing well in the car can also be an issue as people are wearing masks now so you cannot rely on lipreading either to help you understand what someone is saying.
Turning the television or radio up, saying pardon, avoiding situations and conversations, adding in television subtitles and having the telephone on loudspeaker are all coping mechanisms.
The good news is you can start to understand your hearing changes and do something about it! As long as you have residual hearing, hearing aids can help you and they are absolutely nothing like hearing aids of the past. These days modern technology allows for extremely intelligent devices that can be completely discreet and even match your hair or skin tone.
Here are some reasons that coping mechanisms can often create issues for you especially when you are trying to hear outdoors and around the home.
You have to use energy to concentrate
You may not realise it but you have to use a lot of energy to create and apply coping mechanisms throughout the day. You may find that you are becoming more fatigued than you had previously as your hearing changes over time and you use energy to try and create ways of being able to hear better without acknowledging and accepting that changes to your hearing are all part of normal life.
When you make the decision to actually start seeking some assistance with understanding your hearing you will start to feel less tired and more elated with life as you can rebuild some of your connections and relationships if they have been affected.
You affect others in your environment
The issue with these coping mechanisms longer term, is that they start to affect other people in your environment too. If you are turning the television up very loud the person in the flat/room/house next to you may hear it or your partner may not need the television that loud. This can cause arguments and unrest which is unnecessary. The coping mechanisms will only work for so long and if your hearing is the problem that you are struggling with, you will start to get frustrated and perhaps, so will others around you.
When our hearing changes we often lose the ability to hear high-frequency sounds first. This sounds very simple but actually it can affect our ability to hear over distance, hear the beginnings and ends of words and also children’s and female voices. These are integral to everyday conversations so it can be highly beneficial to seek professional, clinical and safe advice from somebody like Neil here at Beckenham Hearing, which will then enable you to have these conversations with ease again.
You increase your stress levels
Just like when you were in school or doing an examination it can be very taxing on your brain to have to concentrate for long periods of time. When our hearing changes there is then a need for us to concentrate on ways to help us to hear better which can increase our stress levels because we are almost fighting against ourselves. A lot of our clients have commented that once they had accepted that their hearing was changing and that something could be done about it, they felt much more settled and less stressed.
Decreasing stress that is caused by health concerns can improve levels of energy, relationships with others, slow down cognitive decline and improve our overall health.
When we feel less stressed and are not under pressure, we are better equipped to get on with our daily lives and enjoy the special moments that we share with others, albeit that at a distance, every day.
You do not need to rely on your coping mechanisms these days, we have a whole selection of perfect solutions for your hearing and your lifestyle that will benefit both you and your well-being alongside everybody else in your personal network.
To speak with Neil and the team at Beckenham Hearing about your hearing care options, get more energy and feel less stressed about life please get in touch and we will be happy to help CONTACT US HERE
