"Be compassionate towards yourself"
Hannah shares with us how she had to give herself permission to grieve her vision loss in order to reach acceptance.
Insights and Sound Bites
Be compassionate towards yourself
Hannah: And of course, it's very hard when you're new to sight loss, you don't feel like easy company at all. You feel like it's such a grieving thing.
Marc: This is Hadley’s Insights and Sound Bites, where people facing vision loss share what has helped them cope and adjust.
Hannah: When I was really very new to vision loss, very new to being legally blind, and still pretty stunned by it all, I was invited to contribute to the BBC, the British Broadcasting Corporation. They have a weekly radio program called In Touch, which is for blind and visually impaired people. I was invited to contribute about, of course, cooking, since I was a chef, and cooking and household equipment that worked well if you couldn't see properly.
I was so impressed by the presenters who were all either had low vision or were blind. I was so impressed by their easy, cheerful, friendly manner, but also very determined and firm to get the results that they needed. So that was my first wake-up call.
And of course, it's very hard when you're new to sight loss, you don't feel like easy company at all. You feel like it's such a grieving thing. So really, the first thing you have to do is allow yourself to recognize what a serious thing has happened to you, that this is very difficult to handle, and to be compassionate towards yourself. We tend to be self-critical as humans, and you have to be really…think if this had happened to a dear friend of yours, how much you would feel for him or her, and have that attitude towards yourself and give yourself time to feel all the grief about the loss of really good sight.
Marc: You never know who might need to hear your story. If you’d like to share with us, just leave us a message on our Insights & Sound Bites voicemail. By calling, 847-512-4867. Or, you can use your smartphone or computer and email us a recording to [email protected].
All Episodes
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Episode 22
Listen in as Sam shares how he struggled trying to hide his vision loss-and how he finally turned the corner.
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Episode 21
Listen in as Eugenia describes how her own determination and the support of friends helped her keep moving forward.
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Episode 20
Listen in as Zenobia shares how she found the support and strength she needed.
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Episode 19
Listen in and be inspired as Saras explains how changing her perspective to, "Why NOT me?" helped her tap into her strengths.
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Episode 18
Sheri shares with us how the love for her horses helped her find purpose and peace.
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Episode 17
Kendra shares with us how a visit to a low vision center gave her more than she ever expected.
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Episode 16
Listen to Carol's story as she shares how owning her changing vision gave her the drive to discover useful resources and realize that it's important—and okay—to ask for help when she needs it.
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Episode 15
Listen in as Chuck shares how he found hope in a chance encounter.
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Episode 14
Listen in as Kara shares how she found new ways to express herself in her love of visual art, and redefining a meaningful life.
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Episode 13
Listen in as Leah shares how it finally clicked for her—the realization that she's not alone.
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Episode 12
Hear how Axel set one goal at a time and slowly took the steps to rebuild his skills, reengage in his art, and reestablish his emotional well being.
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Episode 11
Gregory shares how finding a mentor made all the difference in the world to him, and his entire family.