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44 yr old journo with a stutter Hi Thought I'd do a post about my stutter in the hope that even a tiny bit of it can help someone. My stutter was noticed when I was at nursery. So, I've had one for 40 years. My Gran has one too and hers is far worse than mine. My second eldest kid is actually autistic and non verbal. He's 13 and said his first word recently- "okay". Bullied at school, lacked confidence, never answered questions in class, I felt embarrassment daily and my life back then was tough. Today I can converse fine, but I stutter every single day and some moments are easier/worse. I've stopped putting strain on myself to get a word out. The red face, sweat, head movements. All stopped. Instead of forcing it I'll restart. I've learned to live with it because my attitude over the years has developed into not caring what others think of me. I'm a sports journalist and I'm on the phone or Zoom every day. It isn't easy doing interviews but I've been doing them for 15 years. I will use hand gestures, word replacement, cut off the first letter of a word or when my brain let's me think I will slow down my speaking and try to slow my breathing which calms me. Things I've noticed about my stammer: - It can get worse around family - With certain people it isn't there at all - At a lower pitch its rarely there - I love having a sing and the stutter never crops up. - Slowing my speed of talking helps - Relaxing my body helps. The way you breathe is very important. - Saying "1, 2, 3" in my head then a word I'm stuck on helps. That helps me say the word perfectly. I won't preach about what works and what doesn't. We are all different and overthinking is the last thing we need. Be yourself, watch how you breathe, try and keep your chin up, remember you are not alone, don't hide your stutter, and try not to continually focus on it and beat yourself with a stick. Take care