#66 Decisions & Stress Busters

#66 Decisions & Stress Busters
Tuesday, February 4, 2025 by Deb Vellines

Many of you reading this blog wear hearing aids. Be careful if you also wear a mask. I know someone who lost a hearing aid and he knows it probably happened when he took off his mask. Be very careful!!! Take your time and double check you didn’t lose your aids or one aid when taking off your mask. This is especially true if you also wear glasses and fitover sunglasses on top of those. That’s a bunch of “stuff” around your ears.

Hearing aids are expensive. We all know that.

In the last blog I talked about choices. A year ago the vaccines weren’t available so we didn’t have a choice whether or not to get one. In certain areas of the country many of us don’t have a choice about masks. They are mandatory. The rules continue to change. Now we can decide whether or not to get a vaccine and often decide whether or not to wear a mask. Have you decided?

The info we get can be confusing. We might have decided to go with the one-shot Johnson and Johnson vaccine. Then poof – it goes on hold. This has caused some to say no to the vaccine when the hold was over. Some folks are concerned because the vaccines were developed so rapidly.

I would suggest having a discussion with your doctor. Does he or she think you should get a vaccination?

If you are trying to decide whether or not to have treatment of your acoustic neuroma, what kind of treatment, and where to have treatment in addition to the vaccination question, that’s a lot of stress. It might be time to work on stress busters that work for you. Do you know what stress busters work for you? And what doesn’t work? Do you know when your body is going into stress mode? In other words, do you when it’s time to de-stress?

We sometimes tackle stress in the wrong way. Drinking alcohol, eating way too much (sweets), medications, and shopping when unnecessary are a few examples of ways we might try to fight stress.

Try visiting Pinterest and in the search engine type Stress Busters. All sorts of helpful suggestions come up. Many you already know: get enough sleep, eat properly, and exercise.

Here are some ideas you might not have thought about.

Buy yourself a flower.
Take three deep breaths.
Before going to sleep, think of some things that went right during your day. Be thankful.
Take time to stretch.
Make a to-do list.
Take a bubble bath or a hot shower.
Journal your thoughts.
Play a favorite song.
Say no more often.
Light a candle.
Open your Bible & read promises from God. Here’s a link to one of the Pinterest sites (link)

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Readers: What stress busters work for you? Why not share your ideas in the comments below? Just in case you didn’t get the email re upcoming Acoustic Neuroma Association virtual meetings in May and June, here is the link (link)

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Dear Lord, forgive me for stressing so much. You have everything under control. I don’t need to worry, but I ask for your help when I fret. Amen.

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give it to you as the world gives. Do not let your heart be troubled . . .

John 14: 27