Dear Harry:

Welcome back to the Forums. You wrote that you feel alone, that you haven’t seen your family for a long time and that phone conversations with them don’t make you feel less alone. This reminds me of the long car drive you had late last year, with your mother and was it a sister…? And how alone you felt in their presence. You wrote at the time that they gossip a lot. And there wasn’t meaningful conversation with you.

You wrote here, again, about your hearing loss and how troubled you are by it. My share, for a different perspective on hearing and distress: for many, many years (and still at times) I have been greatly troubled by my perfect hearing and wished I didn’t hear well. I was so troubled by too-much noise, loud undesirable sounds, neighbors, traffic… and still I am alarmed by loud noises.

No wonder living is exhausting for you, Harry, as you think and ruminate and live “in your head” so very much. Need to take  the elevator (figuratively) down from your head to the body so  to get a break from that ongoing, excessive rumination. Also, connecting with another is most important to you, not on a superficial way (like during that long car drive), but on a deep leve.

anita