What is Your Hearing Loss Word of the Year?

Each January much of the world takes a pause to start fresh. It’s a new year. A new chance. A fresh opportunity for happiness and hope. Some people make resolutions—I will exercise three times a week or I will eat less fried food—but many of them are abandoned within a few weeks. A more successful strategy may be to choose a theme or word for the upcoming year that signifies a certain approach rather than specific behaviors.

A word is flexible as new opportunities and challenges arise. And because these are concepts rather than specific actions, they can be inspiring rather than feeling like a chore.

Using Words of the Year to Enact Change

Popular words of the year include critical focus areas like health, friendship or love. Other words like zest or bold are more experiential. Even a simple yes or no can be a word of the year. In 2020 mine was yes and so despite being stuck at home during the pandemic, I agreed to several new and exciting projects like filming a documentary about hearing loss and co-authoring Hear & Beyond: Live Skillfully with Hearing Loss.

Whatever word you choose, it will apply to all aspects of your life, including your hearing loss. Here are a few examples.

Health

It seems like every month a new study emerges linking the importance of healthy hearing to overall health. The latest, published in The Lancet Healthy Longevity, showed that adults with hearing loss who used hearing aids regularly had a 24% lower risk of early death than a group who never used them. Last year’s ACHIEVE (Aging and Cognitive Health Evaluation in Elders) study showed that treating hearing loss lowers dementia risk for older people with other risk factors. If you want to improve your overall health this year, start with your hearing. The first step is as simple as getting your hearing tested. Then, if you have hearing loss, do something about it.

Friendship / Love

Close relationships with friends and family can bring joy and meaning to our lives. And because communication is the glue that holds these relationships together, hearing loss can take a toll. Your friends and family may mistake your mishearings for lack of interest, rudeness or even unfriendliness. Help deepen your personal relationships by being open about your hearing loss this year. Sharing personal challenges with others builds intimacy and provides the opportunity for them to be better communication partners.

Zest

Are you avoiding activities that you used to love because your hearing loss makes it harder to enjoy them? You are not alone. But with self-advocacy, many communication challenges can be overcome. Instead of opting out, rearrange the seating at a dinner party so you have a more hearing-friendly seat or ask the restaurant to lower the blaring music. Asserting our needs with positivity and specificity opens up the door for possible solutions. This is not being selfish. Everyone in a conversation benefits from better communication.

Bold

Is this the year you will wear your devices with pride, announce your hearing loss at the start of every gathering and boldly request accommodations for every event you attend? Maybe not, but you can start moving in that direction. Take the first step and the next may come easier than you expect. If we do not ask for the accommodations that we need, we are almost certainly not going to get them.

Happy New Year!

I wish you all a year filled with promise, purpose, and success, especially with your hearing loss.