I don’t know about you, but I love the opportunity for a fresh start. Those of us who have the tendency to set unrealistically high standards for ourselves tend to get bogged down in negative feelings and disappointments. Self-criticism is a nasty game, and it’s easy to walk down that road when you set your standards too high. Anyone who can relate with these feelings will understand the blessing of a fresh start. Turning the page to a new year offers this feeling to many of us, taking the opportunity to reimagine our lives as a blank slate.
Resolutions Are Hard to Keep
Yet, too often we take that blank slate and set up a new game of lofty expectations and faulty actions. Rather than enjoying the feeling of freshness and optimism, some of us set New Year’s resolutions that are nearly impossible to keep. We might promise to revolutionize our exercise routine or to start eating entirely different foods. We might say that we will never speak a hurtful word to our loved ones again or that we will spend a day each week volunteering at the local hospital. We might promise to make the bed every morning, shuddering to think about the day when we simply forget to do it.
An Easy Resolution
When the calendar turns from 2018 to 2019, you can go down this road of self defeat, or you can experience a whole new world of possibility and freshness. What could possibly be so simple? Getting your hearing checked is one of the simplest activities you can do in the New Year, and it points you in the direction of immense benefits for the year to come. If you resolve to get a hearing test, the process is simple, and the results just might open you up to a world of possibility that you never imagined.
Scheduling a Hearing Test
The only thing you need to do to take the first step on the path to healthy hearing is to call your hearing specialist. Making an appointment for a hearing test is easy, and some offices even accept walk-in visitors. Of course, you do have to follow through and attend the appointment. Some people feel anxiety and discomfort at the very possibility that they may need hearing assistance. That fear can be enough to prevent them from getting a hearing exam. Don’t be one of the fearful ones! If your hearing specialist tells you that you can benefit from hearing aids, this is not bad news. Those benefits mean comfort in social situations, fluid communication with your loved ones, safety as you move through the world, and easy interactions as you go through your day. By having your hearing tested, you are telling yourself that you are valuable and worthy of care.
What to Expect During a Hearing Test
I can’t imagine a more optimistic way to start 2019 for any sufferer of hearing loss. If you are feeling the toll of anxiety and frustration through the struggle to understand the world around you, then the choice is clear. Resolve to get your hearing tested and to embark on the path to healthy hearing. A hearing test is simple. You will be asked to go into a quiet room or to wear noise-cancelling headphones while the hearing health specialist plays a series of tones. These tones range from quiet to loud and low to high. Some will be easy to hear, and you simply need to raise your hand or press a button to indicate that you could hear the sound. Other sounds will seem very quiet to you. If any sound is audible, you should communicate that with your hearing specialist. Some tones will be played that you cannot hear. Don’t feel bad about it! The test is designed to identify the point where your hearing leaves off, so you should experience some silences during the hearing test. Once the test is complete, your hearing specialist will understand how to proceed and if assistance, such as hearing aids, is the right course of treatment for you.
Rather than setting expectations for yourself that are too difficult to live up to, why not set a reasonable goal for 2019 that points you in the direction of a whole new world of fresh possibilities! Call us today at Pacific Northwest Audiology to start the year off right.