Susan van der Walt
By Susan van der Walt
I have been living with hearing loss for 40+ years. I was diagnosed with bilateral sensorineural hearing loss at age 10. This condition is permanent and results from damage to the hair cells in the cochlea located in the inner ear. My hearing loss is classified as moderate to severe, though other categories include mild and profound (deaf). Although I’m familiar with the practicalities of living with hearing loss, I hadn’t done much research on the facts of hearing and hearing loss until recently.
I was already in my forties when I first heard the term “introversion.” What I read about introversion resonated, and I quickly recognised many introverted traits.
This realisation inspired my debut book, Silent Courage: An Introvert’s Authentic Journey with Hearing Loss, which explores the intersection of introversion and hearing loss. In this article, I aim to provide a brief overview of this topic.
Introverts and people with hearing loss face similar challenges, but hearing loss amplifies many of these challenges for introverts.
1. The Double Challenge of Introversion and Hearing Loss
As an introvert, I love quiet because of my sensitivity to sensory input, which causes sensory overwhelm. Noise fatigue from hearing loss amplifies this challenge. Although digital hearing aids can be customised to address my specific hearing loss, they still amplify all sounds, including those I find overwhelming. The noise reduction feature is helpful but doesn’t filter out all unwanted sounds.
You can imagine how I struggle with sensory overwhelm and noise fatigue when my hearing aids amplify the frequencies I can hear.
Like most introverts, I don’t enjoy small talk and prefer meaningful conversations. The struggle to follow conversations due to hearing loss intensifies this challenge. I use intense focus to listen and understand, ask for clarification, and read non-visual cues (lips, facial expressions, and body language). This adds listening fatigue to the mix.
For example, during a quiet dinner with friends, I must focus on voices amid the hum of conversation. Dimmed lighting creates ambience and makes lipreading and interpreting facial expressions more difficult. As is typical in such situations, the unexpected changes in topics and speakers make it hard to keep up. By the time I focused on the next speaker, I’d already missed too much to understand what they were saying. Sudden changes in topic make me feel lost because nothing I hear makes sense without context.
I also struggle with assertiveness, which is influenced by culture and upbringing. If introverted children are raised to speak up for themselves, asserting themselves comes more naturally. However, being born in the 1960s (Generation X), I struggle with assertiveness because my parents taught me to respect my elders and not talk back. Coupled with conflict avoidance, this is a significant obstacle to self-advocacy and requesting accommodations for my hearing loss needs.
Suppose an authority figure rejects an accommodation request. In that case, I struggle with assertiveness and may hesitate to push for what I truly need, which often leads to feelings of unworthiness and guilt due to my perceived failure to stand up for myself.
2. Strategies for Thriving as an Introvert with Hearing Loss
The most crucial step to thriving as an introvert with hearing loss is medical intervention through hearing aids or cochlear implants. The advanced technology in digital hearing aids allows for customisation according to your specific hearing loss and daily listening situations. Though imperfect, the noise-reduction feature helps focus on voices. Bluetooth enables seamless streaming from devices like laptops, TVs, or smartphones.
Self-care is crucial for me as an introvert with hearing loss to thrive in modern society. Through selective socialisation—analysing events for possible challenges and declining as appropriate—I protect myself from sensory overwhelm and the resulting introvert hangover, with symptoms like irritability, fatigue, muscle aches, and headaches. It also gives me the time I need to recharge my social energy.
Analysing events beforehand also helps me prepare by asking for accommodations, like access to a quiet corner during conversations and adequate lighting to facilitate lipreading and noticing non-verbal cues. Additionally, I may need assistive technology like transcription apps or Bluetooth-enabled hearing aids. With these, I can request that speakers wear a portable microphone to stream their voices directly to my hearing aids.
I prefer one-on-one conversations, as it makes it easier to follow conversations and form meaningful connections. If I connect with someone before an event, I can ask them to be a hearing buddy. A hearing buddy assists me by repeating what I’ve missed during conversations, meetings, or talks.
Sometimes, I must attend big events. In such cases, I inform the host that I will only stay for a short time. I also take periodic breaks during the event, retreating to a quiet corner for relief from noise overload and intense listening efforts. A critical part of thriving as an introvert is raising awareness about the challenges introverts with hearing loss face and reducing stigma by educating the people you meet.
3. Embracing Your Strengths
Fortunately, I have many strengths that allow me to thrive as an introvert with hearing loss.
Regular reflection on my thoughts and emotions is key to understanding myself, my passions, and my actions. Knowing myself allows me to adapt, be flexible in challenging hearing situations, and identify moments when I’ve reached my limits for social engagement and noise exposure.
Overcoming many hearing loss challenges since childhood has made me resilient and instilled in me a never-give-up attitude. It enables me to keep going, adapt during hard times, and look for solutions to my challenges.
As a sensitive introvert, I tune into my emotions and those of others. Although exhausting, it has fostered a deep empathy and compassion for others. Additionally, it has instilled in me a strong desire to help others, whether through practical assistance or emotional support. I am also mindful of how my actions affect others and try to accommodate people where possible.
One of my greatest passions and strengths is creatively expressing myself through writing. I use my love for research to write factual articles about introverts with hearing loss, adding a personal touch through my experiences. This way, I strive to raise awareness and reduce the stigma around introversion and hearing loss.
I love spending time with the people I care about. My family and friends, with whom I form deep connections, understand and accommodate my need for quiet time and those treasured moments of silence. In turn, they benefit from my compassion, empathy, and thoughtfulness. We all have our journeys, each facing different challenges. I’ve realised that the key to thriving as an introvert with hearing loss lies in understanding myself and embracing my unique strengths.
If you’re interested in learning more, please check out my book Silent Courage: An Introvert’s Authentic Journey with Hearing Loss, visit my publication, or get in touch through my website or email.
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