Hearing loss, when left untreated, can have a wide range of effects on your quality of life, most of them concerning enough to be worthy of intervention on their own. When bundled together, it can have a pretty drastic impact on your quality of life. Here, we’re going to look at the social side of hearing loss, and how it can impact relationships in your home, with friends, at work, and even with romantic partners.
It breaks down communication
You may find it more difficult to communicate with people in general. Missed words and sounds can cause misunderstandings, and you might find yourself needing to frequently ask people to repeat what they have said. This can lead to frustration, but can also cause you to start avoiding conversations. There are tips to help people better communicate with you to manage some of that annoyance.
It causes emotional strain
Having to listen more closely all of the time can be legitimately tiring for an individual. You can feel the mental strain of having to try harder to communicate with others, but a different kind of strain if you try and take a break, leading to you feeling excluded from conversations and group activities that you’re trying to take part in.
It may affect your career
Maintaining communication and relationships isn’t just important in the home and your social circle, but at work, as well. To understand how hearing loss affects careers, it’s important to consider how vital communication and connection are in your work. If you’re more liable to make mistakes or lapses of judgment due to miscommunication, it can actively impede your progress at work. Having a hard time managing conversations and connecting with other workers can also impact your happiness with your job, as you may find it tougher to build connections than others in the workplace.
It can lead to a breakdown of intimacy
People with untreated hearing loss often find that their issues with hearing can also lead to a decreased sense of intimacy, including with their romantic partners. It can make it difficult for them to fully participate in shared activities and experiences, which can lead to tension building and a harder time maintaining a bond. It can also make it more difficult to express or receive the emotional support that’s important in such relationships.
It can cause you to withdraw socially
The aforementioned emotional and energy strain that can be caused by hearing loss can begin to affect your mental health much more deeply. People with undiagnosed or untreated hearing loss tend to avoid social situations, sometimes out of embarrassment, sometimes because they simply find them too draining. This isolation can deeply affect your mental health, exacerbating and leading to issues such as depression or anxiety disorders.
The impacts of hearing loss can go much deeper and much wider than you might think. Don’t assume it affects just your ears, and get in touch with an audiologist if you’re concerned it might be affecting you.
