Nothing works perfectly for me I learned to force my way through and am not trying to change. I don't pressure myself anymore but I have just learned ways I can sort of start and drumroll myself into speaking because going from not speaking to answering it's like my brain/vocal cords get excited. like if someone says "how are you?" I say something like a quiet "hey" just as I'm say "I'm great how are you!" because H sounds are easy for me to start with. otherwise I have to keep trying to repeat the work "I" until I get unstuck. the whole start over or start calm it doesn't work for me and I just have to get an easy start. I also am very quick to respond and people around me tell me I can think for just a minute before I respond. I liked their feedback because it wasn't "slow down" or "take a breath" it was "give yourself a half a moment to gather your words that's what we all do" I use "well" and "Whew" and "you see..." sometimes to gain confidence if I'm offering a suggestion of my own to a group I will use words like "alternatively....." before I speak so the "...." for me it almost seems more like the breath OUT before I speak is more helpful than a deep breath before I speak because it feels like when I take a breath and start talking like I sputter like a balloon someone forgot to tie. I am over 30 and have learned to cope using the words that my own stutter seems to not hate as much. I change the words I use to express myself sometimes AS I AM SPEAKING because I know the word is about to not work. like if someone asked me "did you like the Rodeo??" I would want to say "I had a lot of FUN!" but FUN is a trap for my stutter so I would say "It was a very enjoyable afternoon!" I can't consciously think about stretching words in the moment. that causes me to lose my thought. but with certain words I will have to stretch them or using them will give me an opportunity to do that stretching just by using that word without psyching myself out and getting blocked. it's not perfect but it seems to reduce my blocks a LOT. I do hate how masks make it so people can't see what my face is doing when I block!! I thought I would be happy no one could see but usually they just think I sneezed or laughed or something! in short interactions like that with a mask I have played off blocks as a sneeze or a laugh and it is a way to "start over" without the SLP style "Ok stop and breathe!!!" (my stuttering brain goes ok are we breathing or talking because if I'm breathing when I'm talking it's going to happen on it's own as happy accidents!! I use different words that effectively give me air without demanding I stop everything and 'breathe') Someone I met used to put on a fake accent and had done for YEARS to stop his stutter. he said that what I do sounds almost like what he is doing with the accent. he's been doing it so long everyone just thinks he's irish or scottish (maybe not people who have this accent but he's not putting it on as a joke it's convincing!! and it works for him but I could never take myself seriously he's a better actor than me! be well! this is just what I do no one is the same.