I can logically say my stutter is just a part of who I am, but it's much harder to reduce the emotional toll and pain associated with it. As I grow older and understand more about stuttering, I become more accustomed to it. But that emotional toll is still there every time I'm unable to order food, every time I can't say a friend's name, every time somebody says to give them a call and I recoil at what that's going to be like. So maybe what I'm trying to say is be vulnerable, and let people know. Let people know that you're going to feel like trash sometimes after the person stares at you funny when you stutter or being questioned for being hesitant to make a phone call. It's not going to be easy, and it's gonna suck; but the people who stick with you even when all this is laid bare are the people you're gonna want in your life. This probably made no sense, but it's been my experience after living with this for the last 26 years.