The 2018 Stuttering New Years Challenge

The 2018 Stuttering New Years Challenge Some of you may know me from the Discord, so you've probably already heard this. A lot of us have issues with avoidance and anxiety. Many of us don't use our voices as often as we'd like to. As stutterers, we are the fucking *masters* of talking around stuff, or substituting words, or coming up with excuses for why we're quiet, and that has served us well for a long time. But it's shit. First of all, this cultivates within us a black hole of anxiety and dread. It's the worst. I know many of you understand what I mean. When you're faced with a speaking task and your stomach sinks, your hands sweat, your heart pitter patters, and you start reaching for those sweet mechanisms right off the bat, because you truly feel there's no way you can tackle what's being asked of you. But here's the thing: You totally can. Two years ago the thought of answering a phone was enough to reduce me to an actual shaking mess. My anxiety was absurd. I relied on others to order my food, or call my bank pretending they were me, or introduce me to other people. I spent most of my life like this. One day I just randomly proposed a challenge to myself, and I can say with pride that, as an indirect result of that decision, I didn't rely on another person's voice for any part of 2017. Even further, for the last 6 months of it, I didn't avoid one speaking situation that I found myself in. Last week, we went to order food and someone else was going to call, and I said nope. Give me the phone, I'll do it. That's my new normal. I make all the calls now. I call on behalf of other people! If you'd told me this 3 years ago, I would have called you deluded. So I'm proposing a New Years stuttering challenge to all of you! This challenge is *not* about fluency or stuttering less. It's about courage, confidence, and expressing ourselves independently. Those things *can* lead to fluency, but that's not the point. So here's the challenge: --- **Every single day, use your voice in ONE way you really want to avoid.** When you hit a point where you think, "I'm not going to use that word," or, "I'm not making that phone call," or "I'm not raising my hand in class," do it. Just one thing a day. It doesn't have to be big. Some days we have a lot of energy to face our fears, others not so much. That's okay. For me, sometimes it was even deciding not to substitute a single word. Just once a day. On the days you are feeling great and have lots of energy, *use it*! Go for a bigger challenge. Introduce yourself to someone you like, or order food on the phone instead of online (I KNOW, IT'S HARD). Conquer something. These victories add up. They help us face our fears of stuttering in front of others, and they help us realize it's okay. There's nothing to be afraid of or insecure about. They make us accountable for our choices, because yes, *avoidant behavior is a choice we make*, not a prison stuttering has trapped us in. Most importantly, they help us understand the value of expression, even if it's not pretty. Sure, I stuttered while asking for grilled onions on my burger last night, but let's look at the big picture: Those grilled onions were fucking delicious, and I would have missed out on something if I hadn't tried. Once a day. Do the thing. --- Edit: Also, [feel free to join us in the Discord](https://www.reddit.com/r/Stutter/comments/49eoxn/rstutter_discord_server_text_voice_chat/)! We have a channel devoted just to the daily stutter challenge. Come and post your daily victory so we can cheer you on!