Hearing can be exhausting. That is why silence can be blissful.
Those with hearing loss strain to hear in loud environments. At a long social event, I often find myself feeling tired towards the end. When I’m in a loud environment, a big portion of my energy goes towards trying to hear what is going on, keeping track of the conversations around me and contributing to those conversations.
At the end of the event, my brain feels tired and overworked. That’s why, at the end of the night, when I come home, the first thing I do is take my cochlear off and just relax.
Hearing can be exhausting. That is why silence can be blissful.
Those with hearing loss strain to hear in loud environments. At a long social event, I often find myself feeling tired. When I’m at an event, in a loud environment, a big portion of my energy goes towards trying to hear what is going on, keeping track of the conversations around me and contributing to those conversations.
At the end of the event, my brain feels tired and overworked. That’s why, when I’m home, at the end of the night, the first thing I do is take my cochlear off and just relax.
Sometimes, it’s nice not to hear anything. Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate what I can hear with my cochlear, but I also appreciate how I don’t hear without it. There are parts of my day when I would go doing things without my cochlear on.
What My Mornings Look Like
I don’t sleep with my cochlear on because it can fall off when I’m sleeping. Besides, who wants to sleep with something on their ear? It’s not comfortable.
I wake up in the morning to a vibrating alarm clock that shakes my bed (like the Sonic Alert Super Shaker listed in this article).
My world starts off quiet and peaceful. I’ll do my hair, get dressed and maybe read a little with coffee if I have time. Then, after all that, I’ll put on my cochlear. When I connect the magnet to my head, a wave of sound floods into my brain. I hear my family moving around downstairs, my dog barking, and other general noises. That is when my day starts.
What My Nights Look Like
At the end of the night, my cochlear comes off. If it's late and I just showered, I don’t usually put it back on. I don’t wear my cochlear in the shower either. There are water resistant options out there, but I’m not brave enough for that just yet.
After a particularly big ‘hearing day’, where I’ve spent most of my day listening to people, the moment of taking my cochlear off can be a relief. I don’t have to try and do anything. I can just be. It’s great to snuggle in bed, have some tea and become immersed in a book or do some writing with no distractions whatsoever.
Right now, it’s 11:30 P.M. and I’m sitting alone in my room writing this and I can’t hear a thing. It’s great!
Will my routines ever change?
This is my routine now, as a young woman living at home with her parents. However, what happens when I move out? Or live with a partner? What then? I’ve thought about it. I really don’t know what will happen.
If I live on my own, I’ll have to be a bit more cautious because there won’t be anyone telling me if the fire alarm is going off, or if some other emergency is happening.
If I live with a partner and they are hearing, then likely my routine will change up a bit. I’ll probably put my cochlear on sooner in the morning, and take it off right when I sleep, so I can talk to my partner during those times. Or, I can just leave it off and ignore them until I’m ready to talk.
Kidding.
While I do value the sounds I hear with my cochlear, sometimes it’s nice to press a button to turn it all off.