A message of encouragement to my fellow stutterers

A message of encouragement to my fellow stutterers I encourage you, to not give a single fuck about what people think. I spend every day humiliated by my stutter. A very obvious and debilitating stutter at that. My stutter makes me hate myself and deteriorates all of my self-esteem and confidence. I feel like I can't make genuine connections or will never find true love or that people are only nice to me because they give me a sympathy card. My stutter holds me back from being the person I want to be. My evil stutter, my worst enemy, keeps me from sharing my authentic words and ideas to the world. My fucking stutter eats me alive every second of the day. It's my #1 insecurity and I absolutely loathe it. But I still try my best. I still talk to people. I let them know I have a speech impediment right off the bat. Takes the power out of it. I still make phone calls even if the other person on the line thinks the line is breaking up when it's really just me. I go on dates, and I make friends. I speak on the intercom at my job, and I greet and talk to customers in the nicest way possible. I don't let my stutter turn me sour. I write poetry. I sure as hell can't speak any good, but I release all that built up tension into my writing of words, something I can do well. I make fun of my stutter to add some humor to a somewhat tragedy. I let my personality and my energy shine through my stutter. Because I am not my stutter, my stutter is just a part of who I am. And people love me, my stutter, too. I have friends and a community around me that doesn't define me by my stutter. They see something more than that. I talk for hours with these people because conversation is about getting the message across, not how you get the message across. It takes a lot of optimism for me to write this, because believe when I say I go through very dark times when it comes to my stutter. But I push through it because I'm a fighter. We are fighters. What other people have to think about the way you speak is none of your business. The only business you have is coming to acceptance of your stutter and working with what you got. Everyone has battles that they fight, ours is just a little more public. I encourage you to be kind to yourself, and don't think the worst of people. Even if you've been proven wrong again and again. People fucking suck and aren't always as patient as we wish, but that doesn't mean you have to be a reflection of them. We are unique and go through something that others can't relate to. We are strong to tolerate something that angers us so much. But it can be more than tolerance. Learn to love every part of you, including your stutter. May I remind you; we still have a voice that we deserve to use just like anybody else. Do not rob yourself of opportunities over something that is uncontrollable to a degree. The possibilities are endless for us, we just have to believe it. I hope this message helps at least one more person out there. I hope this post doesn't come across as toxic positivity or feels like I'm invalidating anyone's feelings because I 100% relate to the hardships that come with having a speech impediment. I recently started living a sober life and have been taking a deeper look into my stutter and damn, I'm tired of being so hurt about it. I challenge myself, and everyone else included, to not hyperfocus on people's reactions to the way we speak. Focus on your body language, the tone of your voice, your facial expressions, what you say, the impact you want to have on somebody's day. Focus on the things you have more control over. Once you do this, it will shine through and put your stutter on the back burner, because we have a lot more to offer than interrupted speaking. I love you all, and I'm so grateful to have people I can relate to. Never stop being the person you truly are. Message me anytime for support or to just chit chat. Have a good evening or morning, wherever you may be. Xoxo <3