>starting this today, i'm going to be more open and take every chance to talk to people or participate in activities that involve interaction with others. i'm also going to reconnect with people that i ve ignored. No problem! Very happy to hear that you found my story helpful! I was a bit worried that I rambled on too much. lol. Your reply was quite moving to read. I didn't expect to have that kind of impact. But what you said right here is really KEY: >. i'm also going to reconnect with people that i ve ignored. I cannot express enough how important this is. The people you have/had in your life that accepted you for you and didn't define you through your stutter are GOLD. I realized this later than I should have. There were quite a few people in my life many years ago who not only accepted me for who I was at the time, but later on, when I reconnected after years of self isolation, there was one common theme they all expressed. This is the best way I can summarize it. They said: **"Get over yourself. All of us combined don't think about you even half as much as YOU think about yourself. We honestly forgot you even stuttered. We weren't doing you a favor at the time, sorry to burst your bubble. You stutter, Joe has a glass eye, and I've got a voice an octave higher than most men. So what? *Everyones got something*. You think you're special? Don't get us wrong, you're a good person that's why we hang out-- not cuz we're doing charity! We just all enjoy everyone's company. The only person who had a problem w your speech was you ya dummy! It took you 10 years to figure that out??** And like POOF! it hit me. They were right. They had proof I couldn't deny- I HAD forgotten my friend Joe had a fake eye! The first week I knew him it was creepy as hell, ngl, it didn't move right. But soon after that it just became "Joe" and I adapted, cuz that's what humans do. I wasn't even TRYING to be nice. *I simply straight forgot* that anything was different. That's the takeaway IMO. EVERYONE IS DIFFERENT. VERY different. So different that we as humans can't possibly keep track of all that individual nuance one by one. No. Instead, we build a composite of each person we know which encapsulates the important stuff (the signal) like sense of humor, trustworthiness, smart etc, into one "vibe" and discards the trivial stuff (the noise) like glass eyes or stutters, skinny or chubby etc. And there i was a decade ago, putting ALL my energy into focusing on my own noise. Worried everyone cared. But no one did. Only me. Took a while to get over that regret when I realized all the days I spent "not living" just cuz I didn't want to "inconvenience people" with my blocks and stuttering. When really, no one gave a shit. Not anyone that mattered at least. Hey it's not easy! Not at all. But I'm psyched for you that you're taking the first steps into just living as you are, accepting yourself, getting OVER yourself, and focusing on the Signal (the people who care about you and love you) and NOT the Noise (our self doubts, imperfections, and anything that tries to hold is back). Things will get much clearer sooner than you think! Give it time and be kind to yourself. Don't give up, life is too short! Cheers