How I Conquered My Stutter & Got Jacked at the same time (How-To Guide)

How I Conquered My Stutter & Got Jacked at the same time (How-To Guide) **Introduction** \- I am 18M and I have been suffering because of my stutter since I was 5 years old. 3 years ago I reached my boiling point and put myself on a strict regime of improvement. It took me 2 years to eliminate almost all my fears of speaking. I am now the most confident and social person I have ever been. I can present in front of a crowd and read publicly better than most people I know. (I am also in the best physique of my life.) BUT... I still stutter mildly now and then. It doesn't impact my conversations at all. (I even have to mention in interviews that I still have this problem, because it has become so unnoticeable.) *BTW, I don't use any fluency-shaping techniques when speaking. They never worked for me. You may be different.* Stuttering is no longer my limiting factor in dating (I went on my first-ever date in 2024). Stuttering is no longer my limiting factor in life (I thought this for so long). I think all of the people in this subreddit should aim for that goal, as well. I think it is achievable for anyone with enough patience. **Here is what I did:** 1. **I admitted am done with waiting for the stutter to go away**. Done with suffering with no end in sight. I finally talked to my parents about my problem, explained the extent to which I was in pain and asked to go to speech therapy. This started the snowball effect of improvement, *don't skip this step*. 2. **Took speech therapy seriously** \- I did my exercises every day, for around 40 minutes. They trained my speech muscles to be more flexible and I also did breathing exercises, elongating my breath. I added reading aloud to my stack of exercises after a while. I also always had something to talk about with my speech therapist. A problem I had at school for example. **I hid nothing**. In the early months, I frequently cried, due to the accumulated trauma related to the many embarrassing moments my stutter caused. I couldn't imagine discussing my stutter - this monster of a problem - so openly with a complete stranger without breaking down in tears. After a while, I got numb to this pain. 3. **Started training a few months before starting speech therapy. Took the gym seriously, as well. The improvement in my physique was directly related to improvements in my stutter**. You have to have such a "booster rocket" for your self-esteem, while you are improving your stutter. That may be different for you, not fitness like me. It may be volleyball, learning the violin or the piano, etc. Some skill that has a linear path of progression and the results of your work are clear - you put in disciplined consistent effort -> you get visible results / visible improvement. You will start thinking: *"Maybe my stuttering is no different!"*. 4. **I PRACTICED, PRACTICED, PRACTICED**. I would read aloud at home 5 pages of a book per day and would do mock presentations before each real-life presentation. At first, even with all of this preparation, I still failed. With time I got better - I had a few perfect presentations here and there. This is the reason I think you have to have a "booster rocket" to succeed in speech improvement. It taught me to never give up and to delay gratification. Now I don't really care, I am fluent and I don't practice anymore. I haven't regressed any progress, and my stutter hasn't returned. People started asking me for interview tips. ;) I began helping other stutterers privately. \-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- That is it, I hope this message finds you well. You matter! Your stutter can be improved! I am even proud that I stutter because it forced me to become more disciplined and discover my passion in life. You will begin to think the same way with time. Let's turn this into a Q&A. I would be sure to answer all questions. You can also privately DM me. I would love to talk to you on Discord, anyone can add me! This is my username: viktorzashev. Let's support each other on this journey! **Have a great day, my friend!** [Life after conquering my stutter is THE BEST!!!](https://preview.redd.it/mxllgyhxucge1.jpg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a6479dc0177fdb9e849098e97fd4a4bdce531057)