RESTARTING

July 19, 2020 by Mr Luke Christian

Isn’t it strange how the universe works?

A week ago I shared on my social media platforms that I had been struggling with my mental health for the past month or so and that whilst I was so focused on my business (deafidentity.com), I no longer had the time to focus on my blog, social media and my ‘brand’ so to speak.

Yet, here I am. On my blog, writing this new post to be shared across my social media platforms.

2020 has undoubtedly been the year that has shaken everything up and if we classed life prior to lockdown as ‘normal’, then I’m glad we’ll never go back to that ‘normal’ again. Life I think for everyone was becoming too fast-paced, we’d lost sight of what was actually important, what we truly value in life and what we hold dear to us. I’m glad that that ‘normal’ is now becoming a thing of the past and that as we begin to navigate through these tricky times, a different way of life is coming. It’s needed.

I had an email come through to me a couple of days ago asking for my ‘Media Kit’ and when I saw that phrase it took me back to the old days of blogging, when blogging was good, when it was real and when people didn’t care about Instagram followers and how their feed looked.

But it was a little bittersweet, because whilst I reminisced about the early days when I had just started, I’d basically announced that I was taking a step back and that the transition from being a blogger to becoming a businessman was now underway. I no longer felt connected to my blog however, it made me curious to see just what my July 2020 Media Kit actually looked like given that the last time I’d updated it was January 2019… I was shocked.

It made me realise how far I had come both in 1 year and since September 2015 when I started. It kick-started something within me again. I don’t want to feel pressured or like I have to put something out there just for the sake of it. I want to feel inspired. I want to write as if nobody reads blogs anymore, the way I used to so that if people did and do read it, it’s a bonus.

So, I’m restarting again from scratch and reconnecting with things that (to quote Marie Kondo) spark joy.

BBC RADIO 4 INTERVIEW

July 15, 2020 by Mr Luke Christian

I had been approached by BBC Radio 4 earlier today (Wednesday 15th July), to give my opinion on what it’s like for deaf people and the difficulties we face now that face masks are becoming mandatory.

Below is the transcript of my interview, and you can also click here to listen to the interview in full. My segment starts at 24:30 and I would love to know your thoughts on this incredibly important issue? Let’s carry on the conversation over on my Twitter or Instagram.

TRANSCRIPT FOR MY INTERVIEW WITH BBC RADIO 4 REGARDING THE DIFFICULTIES OF FACE MASKS FOR DEAF PEOPLE

“Since people now have to start wearing masks it’s made me feel a lot more anxious about going and about in public, especially into shops because I just don’t know how I’m as deaf person going to be able to understand people.

Because I do rely on lip-reading, and facial expressions/facial movements play a big part in this as well. So if there’s big face masks covering half of people’s faces, then that is something that me personally, and lots of other deaf people, are really going to struggle with.

I recently went into a shop and one of the store assistants was wearing a face mask. So I went to the till and I was just buying like groceries, food shopping or whatever - because they were wearing a face mask I didn’t really understand what they were saying so I was sort of you know, looking a bit confused and a bit puzzled but then I started to notice that the cashier store assistant was getting quite annoyed and irritated by the fact that I kept saying “pardon”, sorry” , “what” , but because it was embarrassing for me – and I wish I hadn’t done this – but I just didn’t really say anything and I just paid for my things and then I just walked away, where really I wish that I would’ve had the confidence to be able to speak up and say ‘you know what, I am deaf, and it’s hard for me to be able to understand what you’re saying because you are wearing a face mask’, but in a public setting it’s just a very difficult situation to be in.

During this pandemic, one hundred percent in my opinion deaf people have been completely forgotten about. When all of the daily briefings were being held on the TV, all across the world there were all these sign language interpreters, however here in the United Kingdom, that was not the case. It was only because there was relentless campaigning from deaf people, deaf organisations, petitions being signed, that the government sort of sat up and realised, ‘oh, oops,' we have forgotten about deaf people, maybe we do need to have a sign language interpreter for the daily briefings?’ But this was months later and I do feel now with the face masks and face coverings as well, why hasn’t the government stepped in and made it a regulation for clear masks to be invented and given out?”

Huge thank you to the team at BBC Radio 4 and Evan Davis for approaching me to give my opinion on this and for accommodating to my needs by allowing me to record my answers via Voicenote so that I didn’t have to struggle via the phone or ‘Zoom’!

STOP FEELING GUILTY

March 31, 2020 by Mr Luke Christian

I know the title might be a little ‘clickbaity’ but, as the whole world is going through a pandemic and the current climate has left everybody feeling shaken and as though their world has been flipped upside down, I think it’s time we stopped making others feel guilty by shaming those who aren’t feeling as productive as others.

Whenever I log onto social media, it seems that there is a whole influx of people almost boasting of their new records from their home workouts, their new baking skills, their new YouTube videos, blogs, social media content which don’t get me wrong is amazing, however, just because there are others out there who aren’t up for doing home workouts, or they’re feeling too low to be focusing on learning a new skill or perhaps even do anything, does not mean that they’re ‘lazy’ or any less than the person next to them.

The news over the past few months has felt scary at times with bold, dramatic headlines in the news and daily updates from our Prime Minister (here in the United Kingdom), so it’s completely understandable to feel overwhelmed and a little drained right now, because I know I have felt this way and if you’re reading this and you too feel this way, then just try remember that this isn’t a sprint and that just because others are out there doing things at home doesn’t mean you should feel compelled to either.

Take this time to rest, recharge your batteries and find what makes you happy! If you are struggling then here are some charities/services to help with your mental health:

Mind Charity

Mental Health UK

Mental Health Foundation

Sign Health

Deaf4Deaf

Don’t forget to reach out if you’d like somebody to talk to! Stay strong, stay positive and stay safe. x

4

September 04, 2019 by Mr Luke Christian

Well, 4 years have passed since I started my blog and honestly? I don’t know where those 4 years have gone! I feel that this particular year has been a rather eventful one to say the least.

At the start of my 4th year in blogging I had been invited to Lapland with Huawei to learn more about their app; StorySign which is an app that when you place your Huawei phone over a book, it then translates the words into Sign Language for children to read, particularly at bedtime so that deaf children can enjoy the magical stories and have that connection with their parents that many hearing people take for granted! The trip to Lapland was nothing short of magical and is a place I shall remember for a very long time.

With that being said, as time went on just after New Year, I felt as though I was in a rut, going through the motions, not knowing how to move forward and I felt that having had such a strong, successful 3 years of blogging, things were starting to change.

I had all of these different emotions and feelings and to be quite frank, it got a bit much, so I took a break. Looking back, I remember feeling a little apprehensive talking about my mental health on my social media platforms, however, I was completely taken aback by the support and messages that I had received!

I went to Prague on my first ever solo trip abroad and it couldn’t have come at a better time. Going somewhere alone, somewhere new, and somewhere where I could actually switch off and not worry about posting on social media or on my blog was refreshing, and did me the world of good.

When I returned however, the company I used to work for was going through a huge restructure and resulted in me taking a steep cut to my hours and I was offered a ‘one off compensation fee’ or ‘redundancy’. I remember at the time that no matter how much or little money they were going to pay me, I was to take redundancy.

I had been at this job since I was 19 years old, my first ‘proper’ job, yet it was a job that I treated as a safety net, for that security in case things didn’t work out with my blog. I think I also knew that if I hadn’t have taken the redundancy, I would never have properly moved on and perhaps my mental health might have plummeted further.

Taking the leap to go self employed as a full time blogger thus far, has been incredible.

There have been times where I have thought ‘Oh God, what if I don’t make any money, what if things don’t work out?’ which of course are all natural thoughts, but since becoming full time, I feel that it’s given me more drive and ambition to constantly keep working and to keep going.

Since becoming full time with my blog now, I feel extremely passionate about raising as much deaf awareness as I can, being a Phonak #hEARo and to break the stigmas surrounding deafness and one particular part that I have loved doing on my social media platforms is #SigningSundays!

What should’ve been a one off weekly thing for Deaf Awareness Week back in May, has turned into a weekly thing every Sunday and this has allowed my followers to learn and join in with trying to guess the ‘Sign of the week’!

I don’t want to ramble on too much, but I’d like to thank you all for your support that you have shown me over this past year and of course, the 4 years since I started my blog. I really do appreciate it, and here’s to the next 4 years!

DEAF AWARENESS WEEK 2019

May 07, 2019 by Mr Luke Christian

I can’t believe a whole year has passed, and it’s already Deaf Awareness Week 2019! (In fairness, I have tried to raise Deaf Awareness throughout the year since!)

It’s still as important to me now as it was a year ago to try and show that being deaf doesn’t necessarily mean you have to act in a certain way or be how people expect us to be. I find the word ‘deaf’ so broad with many different connotations and views on the word, that it’s difficult to know where to begin. The biggest misconception I get is,

‘Well you can talk and hear me fine so you can’t be that deaf!’

Okay first of all, WOW THAT’S RUDE. Second of all, there is no right or wrong way of being deaf and if there is, then I clearly missed out on receiving a copy of that book. I don’t want to sound all ‘woe is me’ and as if I’m wallowing in self pity, far from it, but growing up I never felt as though I fitted in either the hearing world, or the deaf world.

Deaf enough to not be a part of the hearing world. Not deaf enough to be a part of the deaf world.

I think that’s changed now though (or so I’d like to think) and believe it or not, social media has helped. Massively. Yes, social media has a lot to answer for in terms of ruining peoples self esteem by constant comparison to others, but it also has many positives which luckily for me, hugely outweigh the negatives! Since becoming a Phonak #hEARo Ambassador, I have spoken with so many deaf people around the world who can relate to feeling as though they don’t fit in in either world which ironically has created a little world in itself!

Despite getting into blogging for Male Grooming and Lifestyle, I now feel that it is important to use my platform that I have built up to carry on raising awareness for the deaf community and I hope you will follow me on this journey.

Remember, always make sure you are facing a deaf person, and make an effort to move your mouth in a more expressive way, without going too OTT, as you could look incredibly patronising leaving a deaf person feeling embarrassed, and as though it is drawing attention onto them!

Be sure to follow my social media channels this week as I am currently doing a ‘Sign of the day’ in which I am encouraging you to guess what BSL Sign I will be signing!

Instagram // Twitter

MOVING FORWARD

April 07, 2019 by Mr Luke Christian

For the past couple of weeks, my mental health hadn’t been too great - so much so, that I decided to take a step back from both my blog and social media channels.

Having been a blogger now for three years, I found myself in a position that I wasn’t used to, nor had I felt before. I was constantly comparing myself to others on social media. Where I was in my life compared to others, whether it be my job, social life, my blog, feeling like I wasn’t moving forward yet everybody around me was, and I was even comparing my own physical appearance and body to others that I viewed on social media.

The overwhelming thoughts of ‘That’s it now, you’ve peaked - you’ve had your moment and nobody cares what you do next.’ ‘You’re clearly not good at what you do because you would be doing what they’re doing.’ ‘You’re shit.’ kept swirling around in my head, and I guess I just began to feel bogged down and as though these thoughts were right.

Why was I blogging? What was the point? Does anybody actually care? Do I even enjoy this anymore?

As these thoughts became louder and my feelings became more mixed, I could feel my enthusiasm levels dwindling, not only for my blog, but for everything in general. I remember one Sunday I left my home and drove around aimlessly for 7 long hours almost in a daze until coming to the realisation that actually, it didn’t matter if others didn’t care, because I knew I no longer did.

People around me knew that something wasn’t right as I became quieter and began to withdraw from conversations and making an effort. It’s hard sometimes as I feel that I enjoy and love making people laugh so when I do, I tend to be rather dramatic (I blame my love for Tiffany Pollard/New York for this) so that when I do feel down, I fear that I won’t be taken seriously as I myself, try not to take life too seriously.

Luckily I was strong enough to be able to make the decision of taking a step back from social media and my blog as I could feel this was the main cause of my low mood and negative thoughts. The love and messages that came through once I had told my followers that I wasn’t feeling too great mentally, took me by surprise. Perhaps I had got into my head too much at this point? But I couldn’t shake off that ‘failure’ feeling. A colleague at work told me that she thought I was brave for putting myself out there for as I came across as vulnerable which got me to thinking… We need to start opening up more of a dialogue when it comes to mental health, and it certainly shouldn’t be seen as something that’s embarrassing, nor will it make you appear weak!

Being somebody who wears their heart on their sleeve, I try to be as transparent as possible, which is why I’m writing this. In my process of moving forward, I have since unfollowed those who no longer make me feel good about myself. I’ve just written that sentence and I have just cringed.

OF COURSE YOU SHOULDN’T BE FOLLOWING ANYBODY WHO DOESN’T MAKE YOU FEEL GOOD ABOUT YOURSELF. FACT. END OF. PERIOD. THE END. GOODBYE. SEE YA LATER. TOODALOO. SHEEYA.

Prior to me feeling this way, I had booked a trip away to Prague, and I’ve always been a huge believer in ‘Everything happens for a reason’ and I truly believe that this trip was supposed to have happened at this particular time in my life for me to be able to step away from everything, and re-evaluate what is important to me. Having this time away from familiar surroundings allowed me to push myself out of my comfort zone and to switch off. I remember feeling apprehensive when the plane was beginning to land back in Leeds/Bradford airport in case all of those dark, negative thoughts came flooding back and I’ll be honest, those thoughts aren’t as loud anymore.

I do enjoy blogging, and having had the time away to reflect, I now know what is important to me and what simply isn’t. If I don’t get a chance to post on a particular date or a time, then it’s okay! I have now realised and learnt that sometimes, it’s not always about how much or how little you post, it’s about how you feel when doing something. If it makes you feel good, then that’s all that matters. I’m fully aware some people may read this and think ‘Oh chuffin’ ‘ell, what’s he got to whinge about???’ but writing this and posting it is a way forward for me. So that I am able to reflect on this period in time, and hopefully I’ll be able to see how far I’ll have come since then.

If you are struggling or struggle with your mental health, then please don’t suffer in silence.

VALENTINES 2019

February 10, 2019 by Mr Luke Christian

It’s Valentines week! Over the next week I will be posting Valentines themed content so do not panic if you haven’t purchased for your loved one yet! Or, if you’re single, (like me), then perhaps I could give you a reason or two to treat yourself?

I hope you like this little fun ‘rebrand’ for Valentines and I would love to know what you’re up to for this occasion! Are you spending it with a loved one? Perhaps you’re single? If so, how are you spending it? Are you a fan of Valentines at all or do you find it too nauseating? Let me know!