Talking on the phone exacerbates my stutter tenfold
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Talking on the phone exacerbates my stutter tenfold Hi all, I’ve stuttered since childhood and am in my early 20’s now. I have managed my stutter to a point where it’s mostly mild and isn’t severely detrimental to my daily life. I am mostly content and accepting with its place in my life and can tolerate it being that way forever, with one exception: the phone. Though I have come to terms with and can manage my stutter to be mild in face-to-face situations, I SEVERELY regress when talking on the phone to make appointments. My fluency has come a long way since childhood, except when I am on the phone to make an appointment or order food you’d think I went back in time to when my stutter was at its worst. I am currently pushing myself to exposure therapy and forcing myself to make phone calls to soldier through the anxiety and awkwardness. It’s extremely difficult for me and with how slow progress is being made I feel like every phone call is just another chance for me to cringe at myself. I know it’s a long road. I dream of getting to the point where the idea of making a phone call to a stranger doesn’t faze me nor cause my heart rate to spike. I have severe phone anxiety, which is odd because I didn’t when I was a teenager and my stutter then was likely worse. Anyway, my two questions: Have you any advice for me? Does anyone else have the same experience of having a very manageable stutter experience except when talking on the phone? TIA