Feeling Anxious? Hearing Loss Might be The Culprit

In one way or another we all experience anxiety. Some of us may experience this day to day from time to time. Others have chronic anxiety disorders that require treatment with an audiologist. Whichever category you fall under, you know what anxiety feels like.

In recent years, researchers have started to study the correlation between hearing loss and anxiety. It has been found that people with hearing loss become more anxious, and people with generalized anxiety disorder can develop hearing loss as a result of their higher-than-average levels of anxiety. If you have experienced hearing loss first then generalized feelings of anxiousness, here are some reasons why your hearing loss may be causing your anxiety.

I Am Going to Embarrass Myself

One of the feelings of anxiety that creeps on people experiencing hearing loss is the threat of embarrassment. It is not so much the embarrassment of having difficulty hearing, but rather, the embarrassment of mishearing someone and answering the wrong question, taking the conversation in the wrong direction or having to constantly ask someone to repeat themself.

Social situations like this one may cause the other person to laugh out of nervousness or make a joke about the mistake not knowing you are hard of hearing. This puts you in a situation where you have to divulge information about yourself you may not want to share or you may be embarrassed correcting someone and putting them on the spot.

I Am Going to Miss Something Important

Another situation that can cause your anxiety to skyrocket is the fear of missing important information. Whether you are conducting business over the phone, in person or listening to important voicemails, if your hearing is not clear, you may miss something important that can affect the work you do or the people you interact with.

Going into a situation where you are fearing the worst can really interfere with your ability to concentrate, which can affect your hearing as well. You may also feel anxious about having to pay close attention when people are speaking, which is extremely stressful all by itself.

I Am Not Going to Be Seen as Strong If I Can’t Hear

A lot of anxiety and stress when it comes to hearing loss comes from the feeling coworkers and superiors may lose respect for you because your hearing isn’t clear. This anxious feeling can follow you around all day throughout your workday haunting you and reminding you that hearing loss is part of your life.

Hearing loss is not in any way a detriment to anyone’s profession especially since audiologists are always coming up with new hearing aids to assist those who are experiencing hearing loss to hear clearer and with more accuracy. If you are feeling your hearing loss may affect your professional life in a negative way, contact an audiologist today for available treatments.

I Am Not Going to Be Able to Enjoy Myself

Another anxiety inducing experience that is related to hearing loss is fearing there won’t be captions on a television at someone’s home, and there are no captions at the movie theater, so how are you going to enjoy yourself if you can’t hear the show? Many fear going out will be a bad experience, so instead, many people stay home where they know they have captions on the TV and the ability to control the volume.

Becoming reclusive is not going to help your mental health, so communicating with others about the hearing loss you are experiencing may help you end your anxiety.

See An Audiologist

Hearing loss is nothing to be ashamed of, and there are plenty of hearing aid styles available to you to improve your hearing. With a handful of different hearing aids to choose from, you can start hearing clear again in no time.

When you visit an audiologist, a series of tests will be performed to determine the level of your hearing loss. If you fall into the mild to moderate range, audiologists can assist you with smaller hearing aids that can be completely hidden in your ear. If your hearing loss is moderate to severe, your hearing aid will be seen, but the technology is stronger allowing you to fully regain the ability to hear the world around you.

Contact Davis Audiology today at (864) 810-6238 to schedule an appointment with an audiologist. Get yourself back on track and reduce any anxiety you may be feeling by giving yourself the opportunity to hear clearly again.