The Things That Get us Through
In this article, we are more than slightly honoured to have Gael Hannan discuss how she copes with her hearing loss and suggest the things that she finds inspiring. I welcome Gael's contribution and welcome her to the pages of Hearing Aid Know
The Words of Encouragement
For every situation in life, good or bad, there are many wise sayings that fit the occasion. Words of encouragement help us get through the blues, support us when we’re in physical or mental pain, and inspire us in knuckle-biting moments of decision-making.
People with hearing loss need this type of support. It’s a life-changing thing to have your communication, once free and easy, become a daily round of frustrations. It can be a long road from the first moment of horror when you suspect your hearing is going, to finally accepting the fact and moving on with your life. But here’s the thing: when people try to encourage us, sometimes it works, sometimes it sometimes it doesn’t. Sometimes, we just want to punch them in the face.
Your Help is Important
We appreciate the support we get from family and friends – after all, it’s usually them we’re trying to communicate with. Hang in there, why aren’t you wearing your hearing aid, keep smiling, everyone has it these days, it just takes time, are all helpful, but what we’d really appreciate is if they do what we keep asking them to do, but without our asking for the millionth time – face us when you speak, don’t cover your mouth, don’t call from another room – simple stuff like that.
Actually, many of the world’s most famous quotes do apply to the hearing loss situation. Here are some of my personal favourites.
”If at first you don't succeed, then try, try, try again.”
(...and then get a hearing aid.)
“How do I love thee?” Elizabeth Barret Browning
(A lot – I just can't hear thee.)
“Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.”
(And I'd like to behold it, so please move your hands from your face.)
“You miss 100% of the shots you never take.” Wayne Gretzky
(You miss 100% of the words you pretend to hear. Stop bluffing.)
“You must be the change you wish to see in the world.” Ghandi
(Loudly - I WISH THAT PEOPLE WOULD SPEAK UP!!!!)
“Countrymen, lend me your ears!” Marc Antony in Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar
(Nah, ours don't work so good – borrow somebody else's.)
"People who live in glass houses should not throw stones."
(Peeps with hearing aids and cochlear implants would never live in such a noisy thing as a glass house.)
"Use it or lose it."
(The scary thing that researchers are telling us - unaddressed hearing loss can lead to all sorts of stuff like mental health issues and dementia.)
"Better late than never."
(See above. Address your hearing loss.)
"There's no such thing as a free lunch."
(Or a free hearing aid.)
"God helps those who help themselves."
OK, well I’ve been doing my best; I now invite some divine intervention to take away some of this tinnitus.)
"You can't always get what you want."
(NOW you tell me...I believed the one above.)
"Actions speak louder than words."
(I'm glad something does!)
"Practice makes perfect."
(I've been practicing 'Hearing' for years, and it's still not perfect. I can now change a hearing aid battery without dropping my hearing aid, and I pretty good about that!)
"Honesty is the best policy."
(Good luck getting a hard of hearing person, who's nodding her head at everything you say, to admit she hasn't got a clue what you're saying.)
“Absence makes the heart grow fonder.”
(Yes, I really did miss my hearing aid when the dog ate it.)
"Misery loves company."
It doesn't make me feel good to know that millions of other people are going through the same thing. OK, yes it does.
Don’t you feel better about your hearing loss now?
