Stuttering in most people goes away in childhood, but for a few of us, it doesn't. I'm going to be 34 this year and I still stutter. Everything you have described is absolutely normal and totally in line with everything I've experienced. Honestly, I'll tell you as an adult who gives tours, speaks with clients, is respected for what they say and do... I know being told to slow down is the most annoying thing in the world. My 80 year old grandmother STILL tells me to slow down. But they're right in a way. We can't control it, but as you said your emotions can make it so much worse. Being excited, energetic, wanting to share what you have to say, all amazing things, encourage stuttering... and sometimes we need to take a breath. I've learned that. I've literally run out of air trying to speak. Our brains are so amazing and we have so much to say that our mouths just can't keep up. This is what people are trying to convey when they say "Slow down." because the anxiety of stuttering feeds upon itself, generating more anxiety. It causes muscle tension in your face, your throat, your chest, your speaking muscles. Start thinking about those when you talk, when you stutter. You're not going to make it magically go away, but becoming more conscious of how my muscles are tightening when I stutter, helps tremendously. Work on the art of taking a practiced pause in your speech. King George VI, famed stuttering King of the United Kingdom, used pauses in his speech. You can hear them in his speeches.. they're unusual for casual conversations and perhaps for speeches today, but they're there. Take a breather, let out this frustration. You are an amazing speaker when you don't stutter. You are an amazing speaker when you do stutter. You're extroverted and loud, and you can command a room, WITH A STUTTER. Embrace it. Have you ever met anyone else with a stutter? If you haven't.. it can be disconcerting even as someone WITH a stutterer. I was 21 when I met someone else who stuttered and only then did I understand just how mild mine was in comparison. It's an unusual speech pattern, there's no denying them. Of course people react with surprise, it catches them off guard just like it caught me off guard. So, thinking about that moment you described when people first hear you stutter.. I did the same thing. It took me a moment to understand, there was a look of confusion.. and then it's gone. Because I don't obsess over it and neither does anyone worth your time. It can hurt.. I understand that and for a while it hurt for me. I have a partner who does not care about my stutter. Who never ever comments on it. I have co workers who never comment on it except if I do (I'll comment about my stutter being bad.. and they'll be like "Yeah. it's been bad lately.. you stressed?"). I make sure to stutter in front of the grade six classes that come visit my workplace, showing them that a woman from their school with a speech disability can get in front of a crowd and talk. I talked to old people, young people, rich people. You may not have control over when you stutter.. but you can damn well make sure the world listens to what you have to say. Don't shut yourself up. We're our own worst enemies.