Sweating in the hot yoga room, I work to hold the posture. I fall out, but try again. And again. It’s a difficult practice, so struggle is to be expected. The teacher reminds us to focus on our breath. We can’t control the heat, or how long she holds the postures, but we can control our response—and that’s what helps us stay calm and focused amid the challenge.
I breathe in and out slowly—4 to 6 counts for my inhale, 4 to 6 counts for my exhale. I call it my yoga breathing, and it helps me deal with stressful situations both on and off my yoga mat. With time and practice, it has also become one of my favorite mindfulness strategies for dealing with the frustrations of living with hearing loss.
Mindfulness and Hearing Loss
A mindfulness practice has the power to change how your body reacts to stress. The idea is simple: breathe in and out through your nose, keeping your inhale and exhale roughly the same length. If you breathe in for 4 counts, you breathe out for 4 counts. Keeping your mouth closed sends a signal to your body that all is well, which lets your nervous system relax and brings on that calm feeling we’re all chasing.
A few slow breaths can change everything
Here’s the short version of the science. Your body has two main “modes.” One is fight or flight—your system gears up to deal with a threat, breathing gets fast and shallow, heart rate climbs. The other is rest and digest—the calm mode, where breathing slows and deepens, and your body settles back down.
The body switches between the two modes automatically, but here’s the good news: you can flip the switch yourself, just by breathing slowly and intentionally. It takes as few as three slow breaths to shift your body into a calmer state, lowering your heart rate and blood pressure along the way. It’s like telling your body, “Hey, we’re okay here.”
Why this Matters for People with Hearing Loss
Hearing loss is stressful.
Just participating in a conversation—especially in a challenging listening environment—can wear you out. It’s a bit like playing Wheel of Fortune—some of the letters are missing, and you’re guessing what the others are as you go. We lean on speechreading and other strategies to fill in the blanks. And then, just when you think you’re done, you realize you still have to respond! It’s exhausting, it doesn’t always go smoothly, and it’s no wonder we can end up frustrated, stressed, or even a little angry at times
But negative emotions don’t help us solve problems. If anything, stress pushes us straight into fight or flight—which is the opposite of the calm, clear-headed mindset we need to advocate for ourselves. This is where mindful breathing comes in.
When I’m in the middle of a frustrating listening situation, instead of spiraling or just giving up, I try to breathe. Three slow breaths are usually enough to bring my heart rate down and shift my body out of “alarm mode.” From there, it’s so much easier to stop fixating on what I’m missing and start focusing on what I can actually do about it.
H.E.A.R.: The Perfect Complement to Mindful Breathing
This is where I love bringing in H.E.A.R., the checklist Gael Hannan and I created in our book Hear & Beyond: Live Skillfully with Hearing Loss. It’s a simple way to work through any tough listening situation.
- H — Hearing check: Can I understand my communication partner? If not, something needs to change.
- E — Evaluate: Take stock of what’s working against you. Is it background noise? Distance? Bad lighting? A mask? Communication partner speech patterns? Think through what could improve the situation, given what you identified.
- A — Articulate: This is key. Tell the people around you what would make it easier for you to follow along. This could be moving to a different seat at the table or asking your communication partner to move their hand away from their face. Hearing loss is invisible, and it is not well understood. Unless we let others know what we need for better communication, we are unlikely to get it.
- R — Revise & Remind: If the room changes, or the people change, go through it again—and don’t be afraid to remind people of what you need, especially if they fall back into unhelpful communication patterns.
Like almost everything in life, H.E.A.R. is more effective when you start with a few deep breaths.
Readers, do you use mindful breathing to help you manage the frustrations of hearing loss?
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I don’t know where I’d be without my mindfulness practice. The simple act of breathing does wonders.
And I love using your HEAR checklist. After a while it becomes second nature…except for the R. Sometimes I’m too tired to remind people. But that doesn’t happen as often as it used to.
So glad you find it helpful! Thanks for your comment!