In conversation with friends, you like to be courteous. At work, you want to appear involved, even enthralled with what your boss/co-worker/clients are saying. With family, you may find it less difficult to simply tune out the conversation and ask the person near you to repeat what you missed, just a little louder, please.
You have to move in a little closer when you’re on conference calls. You look closely at body language and facial cues and listen for verbal inflections. You read lips. And if that doesn’t work, you nod in understanding as if you heard every word.
Maybe you’re in denial. You’re straining to catch up because you missed most of what was said. Life at home and projects at work have become unnecessarily difficult and you are feeling aggravated and isolated due to years of cumulative hearing loss.
According to some studies, situational factors including environmental acoustics, background noise, contending signals, and environmental awareness have a major influence on the way a person hears. But for individuals who suffer from hearing loss, these factors are made even more challenging.
Some hearing loss behaviors to watch out for
There are some tell-tale habits that will raise your awareness of whether you’re in denial about how your hearing loss is affecting your professional life:
- Requesting that repeat themselves again and again… and again
- Thinking others aren’t talking clearly when all you can hear is mumbling
- Asking others what was said after pretending you heard what they were saying
- Cupping your ear with your hand or leaning in close to the person who is speaking without noticing it
- Not able to hear people talking behind you
- Finding it more difficult to hear phone conversations
Hearing loss probably didn’t take place overnight even though it might feel that way. The majority of people wait an average of 7 years before acknowledging the problem and seeking help.
So if you’re detecting symptoms of hearing loss, you can be sure that it’s been occurring for some time undetected. Begin by scheduling an appointment right away, and stop kidding yourself, hearing loss is no joke.