The new year is a perfect time to prioritize your health. As 2021 proceeded, you might have noticed some habits taking a turn for the worse. As the year dished out challenge after challenge, you probably felt the weight of uncertainty taking a toll on your physical, mental, and social health. Did you know that hearing is related to each of these forms of health? As you challenge yourself to improve your health in the new year, one key to each of these aspects is your hearing. Let’s think about some of the common health goals you might pursue in the new year, as well as the way that hearing can fit into each of them. By committing to getting a hearing test, you can amplify your health in many other domains, as well!
Physical Health Goals
With the new year upon us, you might be ready to get serious about your physical wellbeing. One of the first steps is to work toward a better diet. With sugars, fatty foods, and alcohol such a big part of many holiday gatherings, the new year is a perfect opportunity to clear out some of these unhealthy foods. As opposed to restricting unhealthy foods, many choose to promote healthy foods in their diets, as well. Whole grains, fresh fruits and vegetables, and superfoods are great ways to improve physical health. Exercise is the other side of the coin when it comes to physical health. Regular physical activity is more valuable than sudden bursts of extreme exertion, so incorporating activity into your everyday life is often the best step you can take. Did you know that getting treatment for hearing loss can improve some aspects of physical health, as well? Hearing loss has been connected to a variety of conditions, and it is believed that it has a direct effect on the likelihood of a return visit to the hospital. Getting a hearing test can even be a warning sign of other health conditions that might become a problem, so the test might lead to crucial interventions in your health.
Mental Health Goals
This year has brought about mental health challenges for many people, and the statistics bear out that many people are struggling. The anxiety of not knowing what the future holds can be enough to cause mental distress, and social isolation combines with other factors to make us feel more depressed, on average than in other years of the past. Did you know that getting treatment for hearing loss can improve mental health, as well? Those who have untreated hearing loss are more likely to be socially isolated, and that isolation can have a powerful negative effect on mental wellbeing. When we receive treatment for hearing loss, however, mental health often improves right away. The new ability to communicate can reinvigorate our engagement with the world, bringing a fresh wave of positivity and optimism.
Social Health Goals
You might have noticed that some of your relationships struggled in the year that is nearly over. With a close relationship to mental health, you might be able to see these relationship challenges as connected to trying circumstances in other domains of life. We’ve had so many obstacles to our relationships in the past year that you might want to renew your commitment to social connection in the new year, and yet hearing loss can get in the way. When you struggle to carry on conversations, relationships are difficult to form and maintain.
The good news is that getting treatment for hearing loss can fill in the gaps in these conversations, paving the way toward strong relationships. When you can hear and understand those you love, you can give them the support they need, as well. Part of your resolution to work on your relationships might begin with a commitment to get a hearing test first thing in the new year.
If you find that you have hearing loss, then receiving hearing aids can pave the way toward all three of these other domains of health and wellbeing. Don’t delay making the appointment right away so that you have the rest of the year to continue working toward other health goals.