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Conscious of stammering! 21 year old male with stammering problem. Ever since i turned 16/17 I have become more aware of my stuttering and from there I allowed it to have a profound affect on my everyday life. Its strange because as a youngster I was able to give class presentations, order food and socialise with ease however, I am now a shell of my former self. Doesn't the average person become more confident with age? I feel like I went the complete opposite direction. I have become introverted, less talkative and whenever I have to give university presentations, I become overwhelmed with anxiety to the point were I want to run out of the classroom and never come back. I'm so conscious of my stammering I can't even order food. The other day I was waiting at a line in KFC and left before I could be served as a part of my brain was telling me I won't be able to order what I want. Every time I try to apply for a part time job in a retail store or restaurant and it says 'excellent communication skills' or 'have an outgoing personality' I instantly close the vacancy and think I'm out of my depth. Even my social life is a mess. I'm to scared to initiate a conversation with others or ask them questions about themselves. Every time I converse with anyone it feels very one sided, as in they do all the talking whilst I just listen. I hate this, I hate being quiet, I want to be loud and be able to express myself through words. I have feeling most people perceive me as stupid , Boring and cold. How do I get rid of this fear? I'm getting older and realizing that being this fearful isn't ideal and I'm afraid aspects of my life such as career, relationships etc will be impacted. Any help will be appreciated. ​