Game Day Anxiety!

I can imagine that each of us have had “a big game” day.  Whether is it a championship sporting event, a musical performance, a key note presentation, or any other big day; these events naturally bring about a mix of anxiety and excitement. 

My “preseason” is almost over and the season opener is less than a week away.  CI surgery date is November 15.  This date has been on my calendar since the end of July and now the big day is right around the corner.  Much of the preseason training has been completed including candidacy testing, cochlear implant device selection, meningitis vaccination, insurance approval, pre-op phone interviews, hotel reservation, work arrangements, and family arrangements.   It is crazy to think that in less than a week, my surgery will be over and I will be home recovering with a big bandage on my head.    

I am not going to lie; I have PREGAME anxiety. I had to reach out to my AuD friends with CI’s this week for a pregame pep rally!    I had a flood of questions

 Did they have second thoughts about their decision?  Did they fear that they were “ruining” an ear that has gotten them through?  Did they feel scared? Did they have butterflies?  Did they feel stressed out?  Did they feel emotional and ready to cry? Each one of my AuD peeps with CI’s validated my feelings and offered an incredible amount of encouragement and support. 

As an audiologist with hearing loss, I still continued to ask myself, “Should I be feeling this way?”  A good friend of mine encouraged me to listen to the podcast from our church, NewPointe, titled “When Anxiety Attacks”.  Wow, this was the divine and timely message I needed.  Some of you reading may have a different view on God, but for me, my own faith in God is my rock.  One statement that stood out in the sermon was that if we are humble enough and teachable enough to admit your struggle, God can and will do more than you could ever imagine to help you.  Whatever your belief, if you are experiencing any “game day” anxiety, I encourage you to listen to this message.  https://newpointe.org/messages/3797.

GAME DAY is here and I am thankful for all of my coaches, cheerleaders, and teammates!  I have gone through all of the preseason training and ready to hit the field for the home opener and the regular season games ahead.  I have received such an outpouring of support from my family, friends, and colleagues. The regular season is right around the corner with surgery recovery, activation day, follow up CI mappings, listening therapy, and discoveries of sounds I have never heard. There are going to be some wins and losses along this upcoming listening journey, but I am thankful for my rallying team!  Overall, I am looking forward to this upcoming season!

Do you have a BIG GAME coming up?  Who will you rally to train with you?  Who will be your biggest fans?  Rally together for a winning season!