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Hearing Loss Experiences - Can you find humor in some of it?
Hearing Loss | Last Active: Jul 28, 2023 | Replies (73)Comment receiving replies
@julieo4
Hi Julie,
I just read over the responses to your question. I agree that a positive light hearted approach to one’s hearing loss will lessen the stress and actually help improve listening….it helps both you and the people trying to communicate with you. However, after 40 years of progressive hearing loss, I still don’t find the humor in it…and I am an upbeat positive 80 year old.
Aside from a rare few mishearing events with my immediate family (falling on the floor laughing type) around a table I still feel some embarrassment when I respond inappropriately to someone.
I am not embarrassed about my hearing loss but it hits home when I do or say something that had nothing to do with anything. Other people’s responses to my gaffe make a huge difference. We all know there are some insensitive and cruel people out there and we have all met our share of them. I have learned not to be too quick to respond and that is against my nature because I always have something to say.
So I think most of us will honestly find few humorous anecdotes to share. Thank you Julie for always posting discussions that get us thinking.
@tonyinmi
I was born with full hearing which started to deteriorate in my mid thirties. I think my first analog hearing aid was when I was about 40 and it was mild. So I agree about missing what we used to hear quite well and how that might be worse than having been born deaf. But that is a personal observation and might be disputed by many Deaf people. I really miss the lyrics in music today. That’s probably why I love the music from he 50s and 60s.
@jshdma
I can’t imagine the pain of losing hearing for someone like you. Being a musician is not only your profession….its your life and who you are. I hope you find some solutions with all the technology available today ( not available when I was experiencing my loss). But music, for me, is just not the same.
FL Mary
Replies to "@julieo4 Hi Julie, I just read over the responses to your question. I agree that a..."
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@imallears I agree with you. Hearing loss is not funny. The humor surrounding my hearing loss experiences has come mostly when associating with other people like me; through HLAA. No one likes to be laughed at. So many times when we misunderstand something in conversation we don't even know we've responded out of context unless someone tells us. That's when the embarrassment comes in.
Some interesting conversations have been generated at HLAA events through role playing exercises. People share their miscue stories via those role plays. Others identify with them through personal experiences and things lighten up. Being able to 'lighten up' is a huge stress reliever.
I've presented programs on stress management where we take time to have a 60 second belly laugh to then evaluate the feelings people have after the experience.
Again, doing these things, and discussing the funny and also the not so funny things that have happened to us due to hearing loss, does help lighten the load we carry. There's much to be said about the old saying "Laugh and the whole world laughs with you; cry and you cry alone."
Attending the national HLAA conventions over the years has made me feel like a kid going to summer camp. It's a place to laugh, talk, learn and feel 100% normal. 🙂 I wonder if we've met.
There are many cartoons about hearing loss. Do we laugh when we see them or get angry? (Click on the cartoons and you'll be able to see them in full.)