Hearing Loss or Deaf Gain?
Deaf Gain is a concept that encourages us to reframe our thinking about hearing loss. Rather than focusing on the loss, Deaf Gain emphasises the unique perspectives and strengths that come with having hearing loss. Amongst other things, people with hearing loss tend to have enhanced visual and spatial awareness, a strong sense of community, and strong creative problem-solving skills.
“I am not what happened to me, I am what I choose to become.”
Experiencing hearing loss can feel overwhelming and all-consuming. Perhaps you are struggling to envision a full life with hearing loss. You may need to grieve your lost sound, the previous ease of conversation, or the sound of silence in the case of tinnitus. Maybe you are asking yourself, "Why me?" These are normal feelings and your reactions and valid.
Coaching Explained: 4 Ways I can support you on your hearing loss journey
It is not always easy to know where or how to begin living successfully with hearing loss, particularly when hearing loss is sudden. You may feel shock and grief, and it can be challenging to deal with both the practical and emotional impact of your loss. It can take time and perseverance to understand how hearing loss impacts different aspects of your life and the accommodation you need. It can be difficult to know where to turn for support.
As a hearing loss coach, I support people with hearing health issues, helping them to improve their emotional well-being and move forward positively with their hearing loss.
Mental Health Awareness Week: Let’s Talk About Hearing Loss Grief
When I suddenly lost the hearing in my left ear, I was so focused on the practical impact of my hearing loss and learning to live with single-sided deafness that I barely stopped to acknowledge my feelings.
Several months after my sudden hearing loss, I was given some advice from a stranger, who I had briefly connected with online. They told me that, as with any other loss in life, I would need to grieve my lost sound with the attention it deserved. This advice proved crucial in helping me address the emotional aspects of my new situation and immediately made it feel acceptable for me to begin the grieving process.
Deaf Awareness Week: 5 Surprising Facts About Life With Single-Sided Deafness
This week is Deaf Awareness Week!
Deaf Awareness Week is an opportunity to highlight how hearing loss affects daily life and to share ways others can offer meaningful support. Being deaf brings unique challenges—practical, emotional, and social—that not everyone will experience or fully understand.
This Deaf Awareness Week, I’m bringing attention to Single-Sided Deafness (SSD), a type of unilateral hearing loss, where a person has no or limited access to sound in one ear.
How to build self-confidence after hearing loss
Have you lost confidence since your hearing loss?
When I lost the hearing in my left ear in 2016, I lost a lot of confidence. At the time, I was focused on the practical aspects of coping with my hearing loss and learning to live life without full sound, to pay much attention to any struggles with self-confidence. My focus was on understanding the best place to sit in a restaurant to have the best possibility of hearing the conversation, trying hearing technology and figuring out how to tell people about my hearing loss. My lost confidence went undetected for some time.
The life-changing impact of hearing loss
Was your hearing loss life-changing? Mine certainly was, and it's not surprising really. Our hearing plays a big part in the way we interact with the world. Before my hearing loss, I relied on my hearing, without realising its value.
My crystal clear bilateral hearing enabled me to detect and locate the smallest of utterances in my classroom. Conversation came easily, without struggle or strain. Overlapping voices or background music didn’t bother me and didn't impact my ability to socialise.
Podcast: Sharing My Story of Sudden Hearing Loss and Tinnitus
Here I share my personal story of sudden hearing loss and tinnitus.
Is your hearing loss holding you back?
Do you ever feel like you miss out on new experiences or exciting opportunities because of your hearing loss? Perhaps, the new situation or opportunity comes with challenging communication environments, such as places with lots of background noise…
… Whatever the reason for believing your hearing loss is holding you back, below are some questions to help give you more clarity on the situation and figure out how you can begin to challenge this belief!
4 Steps to Becoming Your Own Advocate
When you become your own advocate, you empower yourself to have more control over your life and relationships, leading to a better sense of self, community and wellbeing.