With November finally here, it’s time to gear up for Thanksgiving. Whether you’re hosting a big dinner or bringing side dishes to a friend’s celebration, you’ll probably need to take a trip to the grocery store. If you’re among the more than 10% of people in the U.S. with hearing loss, a grocery run in the hectic holiday season may be more overstimulating than fun.
Let’s look at a few ways you can manage your hearing loss while grocery shopping, regardless of the holiday traffic.
Make a List
Running from one end of the store to the other trying to remember the ingredients you need won’t make shopping any easier—especially if a bustling crowd adds another level of overstimulation. Creating a list before you go to the store will make for a smoother experience. Try grouping items by where they’re stocked in the store for even greater ease.
Shop During Off-Peak Hours
Saturdays and Sundays will be the busiest times for grocery stores. Shopping during dinner time or early in the morning will offer a less hectic environment. Completing your shopping a week before Thanksgiving will also be quieter than a day-before grocery run.
Use Your Hearing Aids
Your hearing aids aren’t just designed to help you communicate one-on-one; they can also improve your spatial awareness and help make challenging environments a little less chaotic. By collecting and amplifying speech, they can alert you to passing customers, help you communicate with employees at checkout or even prevent a head-on collision with an approaching cart.
In addition to improving your awareness, many hearing aids also have tinnitus masking features that can help control that pesky internal ringing—minimizing the bothersome symptom for a less stressful experience.
Enjoy Your Shopping Experience
Grabbing a turkey, cranberry sauce, green beans, potatoes, pies and any other of your favorite Thanksgiving treats shouldn’t be a nonstop stress-fest. By following the above tips, you can enjoy a calmer grocery trip.
For more information about managing your hearing loss, contact Midwest ENT Centre today.
Sources
Cleveland Clinic. (2023, August 24). Hearing loss: Hearing aid, causes, symptoms, treatment & types. Cleveland Clinic. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/17673-hearing-loss