commentr/StutterOctober 18, 2023

Content

I’m sorry you’re struggling! It was really tough for me when I was your age. My parents also dismissed me and had this idea it would just go away and it never did. Please please PLEASE remember, people do not care about your stutter as much as you do. I feel like I lost so much time because I was so wrapped up in my anxiety and with countless hours of therapy I learned to let go (and some happy pills helped too) and actually started living my life. With that being said I am not dismissing the other challenges. I still deal with physical frustration from stuttering, wishing I could express myself easier etc. But at least in my case the depression/anxiety with it isn’t as bad. Also attend an NSA meeting if you can. It immensely helped me being able to connect and TALK to people with my same struggle that didn’t make me feel rushed or judged. Also speaking with older successful adults was a healthy reminder that my life wasn’t over just because I can’t get a clear sentence out. Last little bit of advice is meditate. Meditating in general has COMPLETELY changed my life. I attended a breathwork class (you can look stuff up on here or YouTube) and became so unbelievably aware of how much stress and tension I hold in my chest, neck, and jaw from anxiety/stuttering and once I worked on truly relaxing my body and being AWARE of my breath my speech became less and less stressed. Anyways hope some of this was helpful and we are all here for you :)

Themes

Emotional ExperienceAnticipation & AvoidanceSchool & WorkSocial & RelationshipsCoping & AdvocacyCauses & Variability

Subthemes

Shame & EmbarrassmentHiding & ConcealmentEmployment & CareerFriendships & BelongingMindfulness & BreathingStress & Fight/Flight