postr/StutterNovember 23, 2018

My stuttering is never going away, is it?

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My stuttering is never going away, is it? I'm a 16 year old girl that has stuttered really badly since the age of 11. I never had any kind of speech impairment before, it came out of the blue . I've been struggling with my stutter for five years now, at it has never changed. Never has gotten better. I've had many self-steem problems, problems when making new friends, when doing presentations, etc. I can't help but notice that people feel bad for me. Some others just make fun of me, in my face or behind my back, bust most of them just feel bad. It's like "oh, poor girl" but that's it. Never take the time to try and know me better, because let's face it: no one likes to hear a person repeat words over and over and make weird face movements while trying to get words out. It's cringy, people don't like it. As a result, I have very, very few friends. While everyone goes out nearly every weekend to party, I just stay at home...all day. I almost never go out. Who am I gonna go out with? Even my own "friends" have called me a "socially inadapted person" like it's a joke, but for me it's not. Yes, they are my "friends" but they aren't, really. They just talk to me at school, but never have they invited me to go out with them or anything like that. They just talk to me and occasionally make fun of me (according to them, making fun of me is their way of saying "I love you" which I feel like it's totally bullshit, but ok) but yeah, that's it. I feel so alone. And my parents and teachers couldn't care less about my stutter; they just say the typical "get over it", as if I'm suddenly gonna stop stuttering because "oh, I realized I can just get over it! thanks mom, I've never tought about that before! *poof* there it is, I just got over it, not gonna stutter anymore! My god, you are just...so smart!"- No. It's doesn't work like that. I've been to theraphy a few times, but they only teach me how to breathe, and that's never worked for me. It's obvious that what I have is a neurological problem, not just a dumb breathing problem. Stuttering has ruined my life. I'm always afraid of social interaction, because I know how people react to a stutterer. They just think "ugh, what a weirdo" or "oh, poor thing" but they don't try to get close to you because it's annoying. Stuttering is annoying, and that's it. If it's annoying to me, I can't help but feel bad about the people that have to hear me speak every day. And hear me in presentations. Oh, must be hell for their ears. They think I don't notice, but I've seen people cover up their ears when I'm going to present. Also, when teachers call volunteers, there's always the jerk that says "She (me) should go first!". I just hate that I have to live with this for the rest of my life. Every year, I need to talk to every single teacher and tell them about my speech impairment, so they understand why I stutter during presentations or when they ask me questions, and often some of them do; but others just say "get over it". I hate that fucking phrase. Almost as much as I hate "spit it out!" or people finishing my sentences. Since past speech therapy hasn't worked for me, I've searched on the internet ways to get rid of my stutter. But everywhere I look, it says that stuttering can't be cured. It says that if it didn't appear in my early childhood, and hasn't gone away by now, that I won't outgrow it, it's never going away. I just have to accept it and live with it. And I don't think I can. I hate my life and have thought about suicide many times, but I'm scared of what awaits on the other side. Is it darkness, forever? The thought of it scares me. It's the only reason why I haven't killed myself already, but I have plenty of reasons to do so. Not only do I stutter, but I suffer from many other medical problems too. I'm just so sick of not being normal.

Themes

Emotional ExperienceIdentity & DisabilitySocial & Relationships

Subthemes

Shame & EmbarrassmentSadness & HopelessnessHelplessness & AgencyStigma & BullyingIdentity & Self-PerceptionLoneliness & Isolation

Codes (2)

listener_reactionperceived_judgment