Thank you Julie for the comments about the difficulty of feeling left out during the holidays when your hearing is not adequate. My hearing deteriorates when I'm stressed and this summer when my brother was dying it was particularly difficult for me. I wanted so much to be with him and others in the family but was exhausted and upset by everything including my poor hearing. My daughter suggested an affirmation to keep me grounded.
It was: "Today my hearing is bad but I'm totally fine with it. It won't get me down, I'll miss stuff but I'll still be present in other ways"
This was helpful and led me to write my own affirmation which was even more true to me and got me through.
"I am not invisible because I can't hear. I have intelligence and humour. I am caring and I pay attention. I am fully present. "
Try it yourself when you're feeling overwhelmed by hearing loss. It's amazing how much it helped me.