commentr/StutterMarch 1, 2015

Content

Hey there, I've had those days too, still do. On some days I'm fluent as anyone else but on some days for some reason I'll stutter everything I say. For a long time I let it get to my head that people judged me for my stuttering and it made me feel depressed. But then I slowly came to realize a lot of people won't really judge you for how you speak....but who you are on the inside. If you know you're a kind, caring, and friendly person...no matter how much you stutter, it'll show. Only 1 out 10 people will judge you for stuttering....ignore them. They gain strength from preying on the weak. By ignoring them, you don't give them power. Over time I adopted a "not giving a fuck" attitude to all the haters out there who visibility judged me negatively for my stutter. It's was hard to do because I was a very self conscious person with low self esteem from being bullied as a teen. But I made it. Some tips, make friends with people who care about you for who you are....not how you speak. The easy thing is, everyone wants a friend, so finding one is easy. If not....I'll be your friend. This tip is a hard one too, but put yourself in environments where you're uncomfortable speaking because you'll know you'll stutter. I work as a museum guide and planetarium operator where I have to give star talks...when I first started I stuttered like crazy. But over time I stopped stuttering. Maybe I still do stutter....but I don't notice it any more. Another cool example of the tip I said above. I know a JPL researcher who worked on the Rosetta Comet landing mission. When he gave a seminar lecture on it to an audience of 100+ students, professors, and university administrators I noticed he had a stutter. I bet he was terrified but did it anyway and people loved what he had to stay. Got a welcome ovation. Anyway, keep on trucking. Keep your head up. And know you're not alone in this. We're all here for you.

Themes

Community & SupportEmotional ExperienceIdentity & Disability

Subthemes

Validation & EmpathyAnxiety & Social JudgmentAcceptance & Pride