You’re missing phone calls now. , it’s that you can’t hear the phone ring. Other times, you just don’t want to go through the hassle of having a conversation with a garbled voice you can barely comprehend.
But it isn’t just your phone you’re avoiding. You skipped last week’s softball game, too. This sort of thing has been occurring more and more. Your beginning to feel a little isolated.
The real cause, obviously, is your hearing loss. You haven’t quite figured out how to integrate your diminishing ability to hear into your daily life, and it’s leading to something that’s all too widespread: social isolation. Getting away from loneliness and back to being social can be complicated. But we have a number of things you can try to do it.
Acknowledging Your Hearing Loss is The First Step
Often you aren’t really sure what the cause of your social isolation is when it first begins to occur. So, recognizing your hearing loss is a big first step. That may mean making an appointment with a hearing professional, getting fitted for hearing aids, and making sure you keep those hearing aids in working order.
Acknowledgment might also take the form of telling people in your life about your hearing loss. In many ways, hearing loss is a kind of invisible affliction. There’s no particular way to “look” like you have hearing loss.
So when people look at you it’s not likely they will observe that you have hearing loss. Your friends might start to feel your isolation is a step towards being antisocial. If you let people know that you are having a hard time hearing, your reactions will be easier to understand.
Hearing Loss Shouldn’t Be Kept Secret
Accepting your hearing loss–and informing the people around you about it–is an important first step. Making certain your hearing remains consistent by having regular hearing exams is also essential. And curbing your first inclinations toward isolation can also help. But you can deal with isolation with several more steps.
Make it so Others Can See Your Hearing Aids
The majority of people think that a smaller more invisible hearing aid is a more ideal choice. But if others could see your hearing aid they might have a better recognition of the struggle you are going through. Some individuals even customize their hearing aids with custom artwork. By making it more noticeable, you encourage other people to do you the courtesy of facing you when they talk to you and making sure you understand before moving the conversation forward.
Get Professional Help
Dealing with your tinnitus or hearing loss is going to be much more difficult if you aren’t correctly treating that hearing ailment. Management could look very different depending on the situation. But normally, it means wearing hearing aids (or ensuring that your hearing aids are correctly adjusted). And your daily life can be substantially impacted by something even this simple.
Let People Know How They Can Help You
Getting yelled at is never enjoyable. But there are some individuals who believe that’s the best way to communicate with somebody who has hearing impairment. That’s why it’s vital that you advocate for what you require from those close to you. Maybe instead of calling you via the phone, your friends can text you to arrange the next get together. If everybody is in the loop, you’re not as likely to feel like you need to isolate yourself.
Put People In Your Path
In this age of internet-based food delivery, it would be easy to avoid all people for all time. That’s the reason why you can avoid isolation by deliberately placing yourself in situations where there are people. Instead of ordering groceries from Amazon, go to your local grocery store. Set up game night with your friends. Make those plans a part of your calendar in an intentional and scheduled way. Even something as straight forward as taking a walk around your neighborhood can be a good way to see other people. In addition to helping you feel less isolated, this will also help you to discern words precisely and to keep processing sound cues.
It Can be Harmful to Become Isolated
If you’re separating yourself because of neglected hearing impairment, you’re doing more than limiting your social life. Anxiety, depression, cognitive decline, and other mental issues have been linked to this sort of isolation.
Being realistic about your hearing problem is the best way to keep yourself healthy and happy and to keep your social life going in the right direction, recognize the truths, and remain in sync with friends and family.