Hearing isn’t just about the ability to interpret sounds. Hearing is also about feeling your emotions to make interpersonal connections. Mental and emotional health are greatly impacted by your ability to hear. To help you better cope with your hearing loss journey, we’ve come up with a list of ways to take care of your mental health while nurturing your emotional health.
Anxiety: Let’s face it, we all get anxious from time to time. But for those who do more often than not, why not go out for a leisurely walk? Not in the mood for a walk? How about meditating or practicing yoga? Need to escape for a bit? Watch a movie. Better yet read a book or listen to an audiobook or some music.
Depression: Sometimes it can be hard to be around others or even do a simple task by yourself. If you’re feeling down, a great way to feel better is by being active. Weight training, swimming, dancing, and getting on a treadmill or elliptical can help relieve depression. Really, any activity that helps release endorphins will bring about a feeling of happiness and help reduce the symptoms of depression and anxiety.
Anger: There will be extremely frustrating times, especially when coping with hearing loss. To help alleviate some of that anger, try some breathing exercises while visualizing yourself calm. If that’s not your thing, do some problem solving activities. Brain teasers like crossword puzzles are great for cognition and slowing down dementia, which is associated with hearing loss.
Fatigue: Listening fatigue is a real thing and affects your mental and emotional state more than you think. When experiencing fatigue, take a 20 minute nap to refresh yourself. Or give yourself some quiet time and try some relaxation exercises. Wear hearing aids? Take them out and enjoy some alone time.
Isolation: It’s great to have some “me” time, though when tipped to the extreme, we need to balance it out with some social interaction. Sign up for a club or organization. Try taking a class. Join a social media group. Volunteer. The benefits of having a good social life can enhance your quality of life by increasing happiness, bringing about personal development, relieving stress, and it reduces the risk of illnesses.
Remember, you don’t have to go through your hearing loss journey alone. Having the right support can bring life back into you. Relationships are important and good for your physical health, they encourage healthy behaviors, provide emotional support, can help build your confidence, help you beat stress, and push you to do your best.
Hearing loss impacts your emotions and mental state of being. The three are interlinked. By taking care of your hearing, you’re improving your quality of life. Learn how AudioCardio can help maintain and strengthen your hearing with your favorite headphones or hearing aids at www.audiocardio.com.
