It’s something that most of us wouldn’t necessarily admit to, but health, in most people’s view, can form what’s on the outside, like having a pearly white smile or good skin, but there is a conversation going around about how our health impacts the internal, not just our mental health or something like our digestive system, but our senses as well.
When we are implementing a healthy regime, we may neglect the senses, but why is this, and what can we do to redress the balance?
Underestimating the Impact
The fact is that the consequences of neglecting our senses can impact our cognitive function and our quality of life. One great example, in terms of our senses, is our ability to hear. If we develop issues with our hearing over time, this can be devastating to our mental health because evidence has shown that naturally, we withdraw. The fact is that there are a number of external factors as well that we need to look at, which we don’t necessarily have control over, such as reducing noise pollution for better hearing.
This is why it’s important to start the discussion and recognize that while our grandparents may have dwindling eyesight or be losing their hearing, a preventative course of action can make a huge difference.
The gradual decline of our senses slowly occurs over time, and this means that they are less noticeable and easier to ignore. When we address priorities, we can often look at what’s on the outside and think that something like our hearing or our eyesight is not worth addressing now because the changes are minimal. We’ve got to keep on top of these things before they become impossible to ignore.
A Lack of Significance
We are conditioned to keep going in this society, and any illness is perceived as a sign of weakness. With something so small that can gradually develop over time, such as a sensory problem, it becomes even easier to ignore. Also, we don’t emphasize the importance of sensory wellness in comparison to other aspects of wellness like our mental health.
This is still a discussion that needs to be had in terms of psychological and emotional health. If we recognize that something isn’t quite right, we should do something about it despite other people’s opinions, for example, that “I’ll sleep when I’m dead” mentality or the “just get on with it” approach to life. These can be very dangerous if you let things develop past the point of no return, particularly when it comes to something like hearing.
Busy Lifestyles
The final point is something that we all need to bear in mind. We’re all too busy, and therefore, there’s little time for self-care in so many different ways.
The best thing we can do is to build self-care into a schedule that works for us. You have 168 hours a week, so at the very least, setting aside one of those hours for self-care could make a huge difference, particularly when it comes to our senses which we all know are critical to a long and healthy life.
