Hearing loss is an emotional rollercoaster. It has its ups and downs, its twisty turns that make you want to toss your cookies, and at times it has super scary drops that make you feel like you’re gonna blackout (if you’re like me, you literally blackout on coasters like this).

But at the center of it all, hearing loss is simply an adventure of change, growth, sadness, joy and a whole other mix of emotions. Thus, it makes complete sense to represent the 10 big  hearing loss stages with none other than the emotively talented Leonardo DiCaprio.

(1) The confusion you experience when you can’t hear like you used to

(2) The embarrassment you feel when asking others to repeat themselves or when you miss a joke and everyone else is laughing.

(3) Denial of having a hearing loss.

(4) Anger at realizing that your ears just don’t quite work the way they are supposed to anymore.

(5) Bargaining with yourself that you can get by without help. Yeah, lip reading only goes so far, sorry. 

(6) The depression that hits when you realize you can never get your hearing back. Hearing loss is permanent.

(7) Acceptance – the beautiful moment when you not only accept your disability but embrace it as something more. 

(8) The frustration of taking a hearing test. 

(9) The fear of being fitted for your first hearing aids. It’s new. It’s scary. You don’t know how they’re going to work for you.

(10)The joy you feel when you can hear Leonardo finally win his Oscar. Well deserved Leo. Well deserved indeed. (Bonus points for hearing his on-point environmental awareness and climate change speech!)

Leo’s speech is honestly everything what an incredible man #Oscar #humanity https://t.co/SwqVMrLmBb

— A (@Amina_1Dx) February 29, 2016