The Struggle is Real

I’m gonna get real here.  

Not sure if you know the struggle of hearing loss and wearing hearing aids, but I'm going to share with you (because everyone has a “struggle”.) 

Whether hearing loss is gradual or sudden, the impact on your life changes in a big way.  

Natural hearing of course is the best. Hearing aids are just that…aids. And trust me, it’s never as good, no matter the style or brand.  

You may notice someone who used to participate in conversations, pulls back. You may not notice, some people are good at hiding that from you.

Some people think I’m rude or upset when I zone out. It’s not that at all, it’s that I just can’t hear and it's exhausting trying to stay in a group conversation (especially if it’s loud as in a restaurant or a room that just has an echo.)

I’m not a lip reader, but I absolutely must see your face to be able to hear, and that’s a LOT of work! For some unknown reason to me, talking on the phone is not an issue…I guess cause the sound is right in the ear.  

Ya wanna know what’s annoying?  

Having to ask someone to repeat what they just said…sometimes more than once. Or having to ask someone (if I’m with a group of people,  what was said. It gets old fast.)

Or when you can’t hear in a group setting and everyone is laughing…sometimes I will just laugh…even though I have no idea what was said. That’s one way to hide it.

But here’s the scary-as-hell part.  

The more profound the hearing loss, the more you pull back, the more you lose cognitive function. 

Brain fog anyone?  Yes, it’s part of it.

Studies suggest that older people with hearing loss are more likely to develop Alzheimer’s or Dementia.

Another not so well known downside of hearing loss, is a drop in self-confidence.  

That’s one that slowly eats away at who you are…and is a constant struggle to push through.

For those of us who have had hearing loss at an early age, we have to be more vigilant about staying active.  

I honestly never knew that my hearing loss had anything to do with my balance. Ya know putting on your pants and not falling over or having to sit on the bed or a chair? Yeah, that balance.

You may have been following along my fitness journey.  

I joined The Boot Crossfit back in February, just before I turned 62. 

I go 4 times a week and I absolutely LOVE it.  I just recently did a 100 lb deadlift…6 months ago, I could not have done that. And this was just my second time doing it (more on my fitness journey at another time.)

CrossFit has greatly improved my self-confidence.  It has also greatly improved my strength, flexibility and balance.

Yall who even knew these things were related…I sure didn’t…but I do now.

Sage Sister, we all have our vulnerabilities, quirks and self-confidence concerns. 

I hope that sharing mine will give you the “permission” to know that you ARE who you are. 

You are OKAY being exactly who you want to be. 

And we’re here to support each other!