Another new year is among us and trying to shoot for our Resolutions again. I thought I’d share how I conquered a huge part of them within 30 minutes.
1. ‘Listen more to others’
Group of friends celebrating with champagne
Many people I know opted for ‘Listen more to others’. This is frankly my favourite one as I have been having memory issues recently. According to some sources I have read, by being more considerate and listening with more intent to the colour of peoples’ conversations, the increased depth of your experience will cause a more memorable experience.
2. ‘Improve my health’
I have thought about this one and decided that the best way to work on this is to get more fresh air. Going out for a healthy walk has made me feel great and I’ve been sharing that with a friend too in the evenings to have a good chat too.
3. ‘Appreciate great music’
This New Years resolution isn’t so popular, but I remember listening to lots of music when I was younger. I remembered dancing about looking ridiculous in the house and getting caught. Then, my partner would join in. It was a great laugh. Anyway, I wanted to get back into the swing of things so bought a new audio player, speakers and a whole bunch of my favourite music too.
The 30 minutes that helped with all of these
I was thinking to myself this Monday about my Resolutions and thought to myself “How can I get through all of these in a oner?”
I did a self-assessment and quickly realised that one aspect of my life linked all of these; my hearing! If I could hear richer sounds, I would remember things better. I would also enjoy conversations more and that would encourage me to go out for walks with my friend more. Lastly, if I enjoyed my music more, then I would listen to it more.
A little help from Martin Stone, my audiologist
I called my audiologist Martin to have a chat and see if there was anything he could do to help me achieve my resolutions as soon as possible. Although he was busy helping his patients, the girl who answered the phone fit me into a slot which was very convenient for me.
After a cup of coffee, in his clinic we were blethering away about the holidays. He told me that his brother was in South Africa soaking up the sun with his wife and her parents.
“What a way to escape the winter”, I thought.
Martin then had a look in my ears using his video otoscope – I could see inside my ears too as it was on a big screen and there was a whole load of wax there which would explain a lot of things. I remembered that I was asking people to repeat a lot lately.
Completing his prognosis, he informed that wax was naturally occurring in my ears and is in fact a good thing for getting rid of dust and bacteria that collects in my ears. However, that when there is too much, it can cause some blockages.
My ear wax microsuction experience
Martin put on a special headset that had a light on the front and a magnifier so he could see in my ear canals clearly and turned on his microsuction machine. I heard a whirring noise as the suction began and he used a cone shaped piece to keep my canal open. After a few minutes on each ear they were both clear. He pulled out huge chunks of wax and I was astonished!
I could hear his voice much clearer now. Other noises sounded better too. I could hear the buses outside. I could hear some music that I liked playing in the reception. I was even tempted to dance!
The difference this made was incredible. I appreciated my partner’s voice when we got home much more and we had a long discussion about where we would go on holiday next.
I am coming back at least every year now to make sure I am always hearing at my best.
