Even now you’re missing calls. Sometimes, it’s that you don’t hear the phone ringing. On other occasions, you simply don’t want to deal with the hassle of having a conversation with a garbled voice you can barely comprehend.
But it isn’t simply your phone you’re shunning. Last week you missed pickleball with friends. This sort of thing has been happening more and more. Your starting to feel somewhat isolated.
The real cause, obviously, is your loss of hearing. You haven’t quite determined how to incorporate your diminishing ability to hear into your daily life, and it’s resulting in something that’s all too widespread: social isolation. Trading loneliness for companionship could take a little bit of work. But we have a few things you can try to do it.
First, Acknowledge Your Hearing Loss
Often you aren’t really sure what the cause of your social isolation is when it first starts to happen. So, recognizing your hearing loss is a big first step. Scheduling an appointment to get fitted for hearing aids and keeping them properly maintained are also important first steps.
Telling people in your life that you have hearing loss is another step towards acknowledgment. In a way, hearing loss is a type of invisible ailment. Someone who has hearing loss doesn’t have a specific “look”.
So it’s not something anybody will likely pick up on just by looking at you. Your friends might start to think your isolation is a step towards being antisocial. Making people aware of your hearing loss can help people around you understand what you’re dealing with and place your responses in a different context.
Hearing Loss Shouldn’t Be a Secret
An essential first step is being honest with yourself and others about your hearing loss. Making sure your hearing remains consistent by getting regular hearing assessments is also significant. And curbing your first tendencies toward isolation can also help. But you can overcome isolation with several more steps.
Make Your Hearing Aids Visible
The majority of people think that a smaller less visible hearing aid is a more ideal choice. But it might be that making your hearing aid pop a little more could help you communicate your hearing impairment more deliberately to others. Some people even individualize their hearing aids with custom artwork. You will motivate people to be more courteous when conversing with you by making it more apparent that you have hearing loss.
Get The Right Treatment
Coping with your hearing loss or tinnitus is going to be a lot more difficult if you aren’t correctly treating that hearing condition. Management could be very different depending on the person. But wearing or properly adjusting hearing aids is commonly a common factor. And even something that basic can make a real difference in your day-to-day life.
Be Clear About What You Need
Getting shouted at is never enjoyable. But people with hearing loss routinely deal with individuals who feel that this is the best way to communicate with them. So telling people how to best communicate with you is important. Perhaps texting to make plans would be better than calling. If everyone is in the loop, you’re not as likely to feel the need to isolate yourself.
Put Yourself in Social Situations
In this age of internet-driven food delivery, it’s easy enough to avoid all people for all time. That’s the reason why purposely placing people in your path can help you steer clear of isolation. Instead of ordering groceries from Amazon, shop at your local grocery store. Meet up for a weekly card game. Social events should be arranged on your calendar. There are lots of easy ways to see people like walking around your neighborhood. In addition to helping you feel less isolated, this will also help you to discern words correctly and continue to process sound cues.
Solitude Can Be Harmful
Your doing more than limiting your social life by isolating yourself because of neglected hearing loss. Isolation of this type has been connected to mental decline, depression, worry, and other mental health issues.
So the best way to keep your social life going and keep yourself happy and healthy at the same time is to be realistic about your hearing ailment, be realistic about your situation, and remain in sync with friends and family.