Hearing loss, stress, and anxiety
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Image of a man dressed in jeans, white t-shirt and trainers pushing over a pile of boxes. The boxes are labeled stress, problems, anxiety, work, deadline.
Living with hearing loss can be challenging. The day to day struggle of engaging in conversations, the constant struggle to hear and understand others, breakdowns in communication, frustration, and feelings of isolation can take their toll on your wellbeing.
This can cause significant stress and anxiety, you may start to avoid situations and become isolated. The stigma associated with hearing loss can make these feelings worse, creating a cycle of stress and avoidance.
Living with stress can effect your physical health, causing high blood pressure, lowered immune system, stomach problems and sleep disturbance. It can also cause mood swings and effect memory and concentration.
How can hearing loss cause stress and anxiety?
Difficulty participating in conversations.
Misunderstanding something and speaking out of turn or saying the wrong thing.
Worry that people will get frustrated or cross with you when you ask them to repeat something.
Mishearing announcements when travelling.
Trying to follow conversation in noisy environments.
Worry about how you will keep up at work, whether you will make mistakes or misunderstand something important.
Worry about being perceived as difficult or incompetent when you ask for accomodations at work.
All these factors contribute to a heightened sense of stress and anxiety, making daily interactions and activities feel overwhelming.
How can you manage stress and anxiety caused by hearing loss?
Talk to your friends and family about the challenges you’re facing. Let them know how it feels when you’re being left out or told ‘it doesn’t matter.’ If they don’t understand how your hearing loss effects you, they can’t support you.
Find others going through similar experiences. Join a support group for hearing loss where you can share what you’re going through. You can get practical advice and emotional support from people who have been where you are.
Use technology to support you. Hearing aids, amplified telephones, TV listeners and apps that transcribe speech can be really useful. Make sure that people around you understand that although technology is helpful, they still need to support you.
Engage in hobbies that give you a sense of joy and accomplishment. If you don’t have any, you could learn something new.
If you start to feel anxious about social situations, practice with familiar places and people first to slowly rebuild your confidence.
Practise self care.
Make sure you stay active and exercise regularly, this can lower your stress levels and increase your level of endorphins, known as the ‘feel good hormone’.
Mindfulness and meditation can help to manage anxiety and stress by encouraging awareness of the present moment. This can help you to feel grounded and safe instead of overwhelmed by anxiety. Mindfulness can also help you to recognise negative thought patterns and reduce rumination of past difficulties and future worries. It can also help you to respond to everyday problems in a way that supports your wellbeing. Click here for more information about Mindfulness.
Other relaxation techniques such as deep breathing, progressive muscle relaxation and guided imagery can also help to reduce stress.
Make sure that you are eating a balanced diet and getting enough sleep. Limit your intake of caffeine and alcohol which can make the symptoms of stress worse.
Being your own advocate.
It can be difficult to speak up for your needs, but the more open you can be about how you struggle, the easier it will be for others to understand what they need to do to help.
Let people know where they need to sit, or if the room is too noisy. Don’t be afraid to ask a café or restaurant to turn their music down.
Tell people to speak up and face you when they’re talking.
Suggest a deaf awareness course to your manager or HR at work, so that your colleagues will know how to support you.
The more you advocate for your needs, the easier it will become.
Getting support
If you have hearing loss, it’s important to have regular check ups with an audiologist to make sure that your hearing aids are programmed to your needs. Finding out all you can about your hearing loss will help you to accept what is happening and advocate for yourself.
If you are having trouble adjusting to your hearing loss, talking to a counsellor, therapist or coach may help you to adapt to the changes in your life. Therapies such as CBT or ACT can help you to identify and challenge negative thought patterns and behaviours.
As well as discussing your difficulties around your hearing they will also give you tools and techniques to help manage your stress and anxiety.