10 Things You Should Know About People Who Stutter(or at least about me)

It’s ok if you want to bring up my stuttering and talk about it. Go ahead, give it a shot! I would rather talk about my stuttering than pretend like it's not there. 

“What did you say again? I didn’t hear that.” Whenever I hear these words, I just cringe. Please, please, please listen carefully to what we’re saying cause you may never hear it again. 

Expect me to talk. Don’t just assume that I don’t want to talk in front of crowds. It's good to feel some kind of pressure and stress in life, it keeps me alive. 

No I don’t want to sing everything. Just cause I can fluently sing doesn't mean I want sing everything. That's just not practical people. 

Talking on the phone can be like climbing Mount Everest at times. Don’t expect me to call you back right away, give me some time to work up the nerves to call you back, especially if your someone I don't know. 

I know when you’re really not listening. With all the blocks and repetitions I do, I am very observant as to what the listener is doing also, body language and all. While I'm blocking and stuttering on a word for a long time, I'm also observing what the listener is doing and if they really want to hear what I have to say. 

Sometimes I'll only say about 20% of what I'm actually thinking. No matter how much I prepare for a presentation, I barely say what I actually write down cause I’m constantly changing up the words I know I'll stutter on. Sometimes I'll even say things wrong and speak incorrect grammar just because I know that it's easier to say.

Stuttering is physically painful and just down right exhausting. Sometimes I need a whole day to recover from talking a lot the day before. Sometimes we need time to recover emotionally and physically.

I dread introductions. It seems like I’m having to give introductions every week for work. I usually avoid saying my last name just cause I know it’s not going to come out right. 

I'm grateful for the ability to talk. Even though I stutter and it's painful at times, I'm glad I can actually talk and communicate. It can always be a lot worse.