This was a really pleasant read. You complimented my writing skills, but yours are clearly even better! I would love for you to delve deeper into why being passive intrigues you? What does being passive mean to you? I am of the opinion that I would get bored and start hating life, if I didn't actively be productive. Currently, my "booster rockets" have transitioned from a way to conquer my stuttering to just being healthy habits that fulfill me. They are no longer a way to try to compensate for my stutter. I honestly feel bad after a "traditionally fun" night out - partying, drinking and listening to loud music. I ruin my sleep just to pretend to be happy with the other drunk people. When I have a lazy day or a lie in, I always regret it afterwards. No offensive if that's your preferred way to relax, it just isn't for me. I am truly happy, when I am working towards something. And yes, when I accomplish that big goal I set for myself, I do take a few days off from grinding to be passive. I enjoy myself for a while as a reward. I admit there is merit to this. I do a few things that are fun for me, not the traditionally accepted social way to have fun. I play my favorite video game or watch a whole series in a few days. Nevertheless, I always try to keep these periods to a minimum, and not as my main method to have fun. I am grinding most of the time. I find that both fun, fulfilling and it keeps my mental health up. What identity will a person have if he/she has no ambition? Is that what being passive is? I hope you don't take offense, I am intrigued and trying to understand. Thank you for the detailed answer, I will go over your points: 1. Jumping into the deep end, so to speak, always left me pumped with adrenaline, as well. I have never really put much thought into my body's tension. The problem with me was always a mental one. The thing that helped me was seeing how many people around me were afraid of public speaking. If I volunteered first, that meant that other people weren't as courageous as me. Becoming more confident cured me of my blindness to other's people fears. I started seeing that I hadn't been the only person scared of public speaking or asking out girls. That is the normal way of life. When I stuttered more severely, I thought that all of the people around had nothing to fear, nothing to be self-conscious about regarding their voice and social interactions. This just isn't the case. 2. I also enjoy being mindful. Taking a deep breath, without any distractions, and looking around is a very liberating feeling. Hard things become manageable, when you take a step back from your thoughts. The thing I always tell myself is that no matter how stressed or overloaded I feel today, when I wake up tomorrow (sleeping well, of course) I will be back to normal. The rainy cloud over me will have passed. 3. Absolutely, I encourage every stutterer to read a book on social skills. I recommend "How to win friends and influence people" by Dale Carnegie. After a while, I started easily reading the body language of people. One friend even commented how I explained the weightlifting exercises better than my training partner, who doesn't stutter. With time, I believe we can level up our speech and surpass the social skills of some non-stutterers. 4. You hit the nail on the head. Destroying the limiting beliefs that "I can't hold public speeches without embarrassment", "No one will ever find me attractive because of my stutter" or "I can't give out great presentations" was the final blockade I had to bust through. I succeeded with just carefully cherishing and remembering/writing down any and all wins I had. I kept track of my successful introductions to new people and the successful presentations I had. This proved to me that I COULD do all of the previously thought impossible tasks. After that revelation, it got easier and easier to accumulate even more wins. 5. I absolutely started dressing better and getting frequent haircuts as I gradually improved my confidence. Maybe this also counts as one of my "boosters" - keeping well-groomed. 6. Breathing techniques helped me and they are beneficial to others, as well. I recommended some to hemanth4092 and he found great success. I think everyone should include at least some breathing exercises in their exercise routine. 7. Yup, as I said before, having somebody to talk to about stuttering is crucial. I even recommend to anyone to ask their closest friend what he/she thinks about stuttering. Do they notice it, what have they heard others say about it? The answer really puts things into perspective and helps you remove the self-depreciating thoughts you may have. I have also had to disclose my stutter in interviews 2 times now. The interviewers shared that they find it almost unnoticeable. I don't get imposter syndrome from that, though. The internal iceberg of problems that stuttering causes goes much deeper than non-stutterers can see. That's why this group is so amazing! We understand each other's problems. 8. I think I get what you mean. I am not sure that being passive as a way of life will be beneficial for me. I would love to hear more from you, if you discover a way that works for you.