Confusion. Embarrassment. An overpowering urge to jump into the nearest bush. These are feelings intimately familiar to anyone who habitually mishears things. Although I don't have hearing impairments per se, my hearing is still pretty bad, and I am good friends with several people in the same situation, which makes for some interesting (and loud) conversations. If you find yourself constantly saying "what?" or pretending like you heard part of a sentence that was totally inaudible to you, you're not alone: here are the 11 biggest struggles of those of us who, try as we might, just can't hear you.
1. Your most reliable form of communication is vigorous nodding.
2. You've learned to cover your confusion when you don't quite hear something, but sometimes you get caught off guard.
3. People assume your hearing loss comes from habitually listening to music too loud- and maybe it's a little bit true.
4. You often respond to questions like "How's your day going?" or "Where did you get your hair cut?" with "Yes" or "Uh-huh."
5.Conversations get bad fast if you say "yes" when you were supposed to say "no."
6. Class participation can quickly turn into a nightmare when you accidentally answer a question that wasn't meant for you.
7. And foreign languages aren't easy when you can't hear what's being said.
8. You have responded to someone saying "I love you" by replying "Mm-hmm."
9. You've learned to appreciate that most movies on Netflix come with subtitles. (Even when they're not totally right.)
10. Part of you dreads the day that your hearing gets even more terrible.
11. But in the end, you know that you could always have it worse- and you appreciate what you do hear even more.
