Can You Hear Me Now?

When my husband told me I needed my hearing tested because he was tired of repeating himself, I really thought the problem was his mumbling. But just in case, I decided to do it anyway.

As the audiologist reviewed my results, she shared one critical piece of information with me. My significant hearing loss was forcing my brain to work very hard to concentrate to hear conversations, to the point of exhaustion, and hearing aides could help. Now I understood why I was so tired after a full day of coaching because ironically, the most important skill for a speaker and coach is not speaking, but listening. If I could conserve my energy by not having to work so hard to listen, I was all in.

My decision to get hearing aides empowered me in my well-being as well as benefitted my husband, clients, and everyone else in my life. That is how well-being works. When you make a decision to have more energy by getting your rest, recovery, or hearing aides, you are more present and engaged in your life and feel good about yourself. When you are tired, and even worse, exhausted, everything feels hard and like a burden, and you feel resentful, unable to give your best to the people and things that matter most.

Now I hear things I didn’t even realize I was missing with more clarity and less fatigue, like the birds singing, a gentle rain, and conversations on Zoom calls. How about you? What do you think you are you missing and what can you decide to empower your well-being? I can hear you now.