Hearing loss in my 20s

Guest writer: April Corner from HardtoHearIt.com

Getting diagnosed with Otosclerosis, a form of hearing loss at the age of 25 was NOT on my bingo card in 2016.

I was shocked. It took me over two years to come to terms with the fact I was losing my hearing at such a young age. There are still some days where I get a little sad knowing I will always have to rely on hearing aids – but like I tell my followers, allow yourself to have bad days. We are only human.

A shift happened for me about four years ago. I stopped focusing on what I couldn’t control and started focusing on what I could.

I truly believe God gave me hearing loss to help others. I feel like I have finally found my true calling.

Hearing loss can be a positive thing

Hearing loss is always seen as a negative but there are so many positives too. I like to aim my thoughts on the positive because we have the ability to control our energy when we focus on the good.

Here are a few things I love about my hearing loss and hearing aids:

• I can turn off the hustle and bustle simply by removing my hearing aids
• Sounds don’t disturb me when I sleep because I can’t hear them😜
• The Bluetooth ability my hearing aids provides at the touch of a button
• Encouraging people to communicate more effectively – something I think everyone can do better at

There are many other things I’ve come to enjoy about my hearing loss journey. It just took me a few years to see and appreciate them.

One thing I am very passionate about is encouraging people to invest in their hearing health. Up until I was 25, I had no clue about hearing health and how it is connected to so many other things in our body.

There were many things I dealt with when I was younger that I now know were likely connected to my hearing. If I had been made aware at a younger age maybe I would have been diagnosed sooner.

Embrace your hearing loss journey

To embrace my hearing loss journey, I created my channel Hard To Hear It. It allowed me to connect with others my age who were also going through the ups and downs of hearing loss.

I encourage everyone to find someone in their life to vent their hearing loss journey to and if you don’t have anyone, I am happy to be that person for you. In my Hard To Hear It Bundle I offer many tips and tricks for shifting your mindset to enjoy your hearing loss – yes it is possible!

Another thing I like to remind my followers is hearing aids are cool! These incredible pieces of technology help us get back to conversations and they can help us feel connected again. There is nothing to be embarrassed about, so many people wear earbuds and nobody bats an eye. Hearing aids are premium earbuds in my opinion.

No matter how old you are I hope you embrace your hearing aids and hearing loss.