"You don’t stutter. Your tongue just covers up your eyetooth so you can’t see what you’re saying." — My Dad when I was a kid
Stuttering is definitely stressful, even if you don’t stutter that badly. Stuttering can happen at any age and for a variety of reasons. Trying to express ourselves can be difficult even under the best of conditions, but stuttering makes it worse. And what’s really unfair is that stress about stuttering can make your stutter worse! But the good news is that if you stutter today, that’s doesn’t mean you will definitely stutter tomorrow. Dealing with stress is a great way of dealing with stuttering.
Why Do You Think I Telecommute?
Yes, I stutter. I’ve been stuttering since the womb, it seems. My stutter isn’t that bad, but it can be very bothersome and can often make me experience physical symptoms of stress, like a rise in blood pressure. After a few years, you get used to it and learn to compromise with it. I don’t really mind so much that I stutter — perhaps it’s helped me concentrate more on my writing. But when I was in middle school and high school, it got so bad that I had no choice but to deal with stuttering. Here’s some of what I learned about dealing with my stuttering.
Tips For Dealing With Stuttering
- Go to a doctor to be sure there isn’t a physical reason for your stutter. If you’ve ever had a stroke, for example, then you are bound to stutter.
- Memorize some standard small talk or sentences you use often. For some reason, repeating what you’ve learned from memory is often easier for you to get out of your mouth smoothly than improvisational talking (normal talking).
- Make fun of yourself. When I start to stutter, I often smack my cheek and then say (as best as I can) "My mouth isn’t awake yet." This gets the listener to laugh. Perhaps they’ve gone through something similar and often can emphasize what you are going through.
- Start pretending you have a coughing fit or a really bad sore throat. Then, write down your replies to any information anyone around you needs to know.
- Tell your listener that you stutter. Adults are surprisingly tolerant of stutters. Some kids are, too. For the most part, your listener will appreciate your honesty.
- Take deep breaths. Not only does this look like you are gathering your thoughts together to say something profound, but breathing deeply helps your body to relax, which in turn can help you deal with stuttering.
Hope this helps.
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11 Comments
Write a Comment»Not sure about your tips. The doctor tip and telling your listener you stutter are sound, but the others don’t work for me. The key for me is taking the fear out of the speaking situation, e.g. by reprogramming your mind using NLP.
Well, they work for me, but as you rightly point out, they might not work for everyone. What does NLP stand for? Thanks for taking the time to comment.
I think he/she meant Neuro Linguistic Programming by NLP. Not sure, as I don’t know much about the method, but there is a certain hype surrounding these techniques.
You’re probably right, Frank. Cheers for that! For those of you curious about NLP, here’s the Wilipedia article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neuro-linguistic_programming
Yes, sorry, I meant Neuro Linguistic Programming. http://www.masteringstuttering.com is a good source of info on this. John Harrison has also written some good stuff on all that is involved in stuttering, i.e. its not just a physical affliction. I think what bothered me about your list was the smacking in the face remark. I’m not an idiot because I stutter and think I should deal with my stutter with dignity not things like smacking myself in the face or having to resort to pretense. Sorry, strong feelings. No offense meant.
No offence taken. I like to poke fun at myself, because it seems to help everyone around me relax. But you don’t HAVE to take that approach. And thanks for the link!
great article, i normally just click with giving a stumble but this post made me stop and read.
i had this problem when i was younger and sometimes i still do, now even my youngest son does too, it that gives me heart pain every time i hear it.
My youngest has a stammer too - it breaks my heart. There’s always a dilemma as to whether to make a big deal of it via therapy etc or to just encourage fluency by being sure to listen well, give her calm space to talk etc. We’ve opted for the latter and it seems to help.
That’s what my parents opted for me, too, Mulled Vine. Thanks for commenting, Simon. Being able to write my thoughts down rather than speak them seemed to help give me more confidence speaking them. Hope this helps.
The Stuttering Foundation of America is where our family went for information, referrals, and helpful tips. They are a wonderful resource for parents with children who start stuttering as well as teachers and employers.
Thanks for the great suggestion, Bud! Here’s the link — http://www.stutteringhelp.org/
I wish I knew about this association when I was a kid.
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