commentr/StutterApril 3, 2021

Content

Okay, as a fellow 21 year old stutterer, let me give you some advice. Screw what anyone else thinks sbout you. Live the life you wanna live. Don't be ashamed to stutter your ass off. If anyone has any problem with that, fuck 'em. They're not your friend anymore, they're not important! In practice this is very difficult, and will take time. But if you are able to do it your life will become a lot easier, and a lot more fun. You'll find out that 95% don't give a fuck about your stutter. Tell the girl you stutter your ass off, but do it with pride, not with shame. She won't make a big deal out of it if you don't. The person having the most difficulty with your stutter is you. Sure it is a disability, but most of it is in your head, no one cares if you trip over words, or can't finish a sentence. They're all too busy caring about everything they can't do. The problem is that you got caught in your own head, and you're feeling insecure and anxious. That's when it becomes a downward spiral: If you're more anxious, you start stuttering more, which makes you more anxious and insecure, which makes you stutter more and so on and so on. The key to breaking that spiral is to stop caring about what other people think about you. Stutter with pride and with confidence and turn that spiral upwards. And sure, you'll have moments where you'll fall back, when you fuck something up, like stuttering in a job interview, or for a big presentation. But as long as you don't let your stutter dictate your life you'll be okay. Allright, that was more than I planned to say, haha.. Time to follow my own advice! We all struggle and have trouble, and we're all here for eachother. If you, or anyone else reading this needs someone to talk to, feel free to reach out to me!

Themes

Coping & AdvocacyEmotional ExperienceIdentity & Disability

Subthemes

Self-Advocacy & BoundariesHope & MotivationAcceptance & PrideAnxiety & Social JudgmentAuthenticity vs. Masking