You want to be polite when you’re talking with friends. At work, you want to appear involved, even enthralled with what your boss/co-worker/customers are talking about. With family, you may find it easier to simply tune out the conversation and ask the person next to you to fill in what you missed, just a little louder, please.
You need to lean in a little closer when you’re on zoom calls. You watch for facial cues, listen for inflection, pay close attention to body language. You attempt to read people’s lips. And if none of that works, you nod in understanding as if you heard everything.
Maybe your in denial. Your straining to catch up because you missed most of the conversation. Life at home and projects at work have become unjustifiably overwhelming and you are feeling aggravated and cut off due to years of progressive hearing loss.
According to some studies, situational factors like environmental acoustics, background noise, contending signals, and environmental awareness have a major influence on how we hear. But for people who suffer from hearing loss these factors are made even more challenging.
There are certain tell-tale habits that will alert you to whether you’re in denial about how your hearing impairment is affecting your social and professional life:
- Asking others what you missed after pretending to hear what someone was saying
- Thinking people aren’t speaking clearly when all you can hear is mumbling
- Requesting that people repeat themselves over and over again
- Having a hard time hearing what people behind you are saying
- Missing important parts of phone conversations
- Cupping your ear with your hand or leaning in close to the person talking without noticing it
Hearing loss most likely didn’t occur overnight even though it may feel that way. Most people wait 7 years on average before accepting the issue and seeking help.
That means if your hearing loss is an issue now, it has probably been going un-addressed and neglected for some time. So start by scheduling an appointment now, and stop fooling yourself, hearing loss is no joke.
