I was incredibly anxious when I was in my late teens. I dropped out of school because of fear of stuttering and completely withdrew. I didn't understand how I could do anything or find a way forward. I went on an intensive speech therapy course. It was two weeks long and was focused on acceptance and desensitisation. The course encouraged the students to push their comfort zone and honestly evaluate how things went. This meant making phone calls, talking to strangers and seeing that negative experiences were less common than we thought. This honestly changed my life. It didn't improve my stutter but it did change how I viewed it, giving me a lot of confidence and helping me to find my place in the world. I am now almost 40 (oh shit). I have three kids and am getting married next year. My job involves making and communicating decisions across lots of stakeholders. I often stutter but I have the respect of the people I work with because I am good at what I do. **Is life significantly harder as an adult who stutters?** **Yes.** For me it is. Everything I do requires concious effort and a lot of practice. I feel like I force myself to keep moving forward. I worry that if I avoid something, I will slide back to being that anxious version of me who was afraid when the phone rang. A follow up question is **does it matter if it is harder?** I would say no. Everyone has challenges. My partner had several years where she was struggling with constant pain. I would rather stutter than go through that. I have 3 amazing kids, my own house, my finance. It is worth the fight. Where you are doesn't sound a million miles from where I was. If that is the case I would encourage you to focus on your anxiety and gently push your boundaries. Try making a phone call a day. Call the bank rather than using the app. Tell you people you have a stutter so they know what is going on and give you the time to speak. Ensure you focus on what you achieve rather than how your stutter went. I would hope that this helps your confidence grow and makes you feel more positively about the future.