Stuttering and being nervous

Many people think that a person who stutters only does so because they are nervous. This paragraph explains better than I can that a person who stutters is not doing so because they are nervous.

"While anxiety is not the cause of stuttering, anxiety may make us stutter more severely at times, such as during stressful situations like talking on the phone or speaking in front of a crowd. A frustrating reality about stuttering is that when we want to stutter less, we often end up stuttering more. And when we no longer fear our stuttering, we often end up stuttering less." from this web page http://www.stutteringhelp.org/stuttering-myths-beliefs-and-straight-talk-teens

Stress and stuttering

One of the worst times for a stutterer is when there is stress. The stuttering is always worse then. It doesn't take much to have stress in your life. The time of year can even do it. When Christmas is near, the stress of shopping if you wish to shop in your hometown can be hard if you have to ask a question of a sales person. Ordering over the internet is so much easier since there is no talking involved. The stress of driving in bad weather in winter can turn a good talking day into a bad talking day in no time. Being in crowds of people, whether in the mall or at a family gathering, can make us unconciously stressed.

Anything we can do to minimize stress will help us have less stuttering. The trick is how to do it! Each person is different and will have to find out what causes them stress as well as what helps relieve it.

Some find that getting more rest helps, so try getting to bed a little earlier. Some say that concentrating on something as simple as their breathing helps them keep from thinking about the situation they are in and helps them stay relaxed. This could be detrimental at a party if someone is talking to you as you may miss the conversation for concentrating on relaxing. Perhaps, do several minutes of relaxation techniques before you enter a gathering would help, then excuse yourself to the restroom to do some more if you need to during the party.

The most important thing is to remember that you will stutter more when you are trying NOT to stutter! Just let the stuttering happen and stutter right on through what you are saying. To make others at ease, say something like "I'm having a bad stuttering day today, but it will get better." Let other people know how they can help you through your stuttering moments. If you make your friends and new acquaintances part of your help, and if you teach they about stuttering, most likely you will find that you will have a better relationship with them and will stutter less.

Stuttering and mental problems

It is so sad to read posts on various blogs and chat groups about stutterers who say that they have to deal with depression, anxiety disorder, mental problems, and being bipolar and thinking that all of these things are brought on by their stuttering. I could be wrong, but I don't think the speech mechanism not working right can cause these other problems. The person is either also prone to being mentally unstable or they allow themselves to get that way by not dealing with their attitude toward their stuttering. One role of the speech therapist is to help with attitudes and feelings so that an acceptance of the stuttering occurs at the same time a person is working on stuttering less. I bet this is important to do with young children so they don't grow into adults with more problems than just stuttering adults.

Study on anxiety and stuttering

For those parents whose children start stuttering, they are encouraged to seek help through The Stuttering Foundation of America so they know how best to handle the situation. The earlier you can help a child who stutters, the better. A recent study shows that anxiety is not a cause of stuttering.

Bianca Phaal, a masters student in the Department of Communication Disorders, has just completed a study looking at the anxiety levels of a group of three and four-year-olds who were at the onset of stuttering and compared this with a control group of non-stuttering children.
She examined anxiety by collecting saliva samples from each child and measured the steroid levels of a substance called "cortisol". Cortisol is a hormone released during periods of heightened anxiety, and can be measured in saliva by chewing on a dental roll. She also conducted communication apprehension tests with the children and surveyed their parents, asking them to rate their children’s anxiety levels in different situations.
Working with biochemist Dr John Lewis, Bianca found no higher anxiety levels in children who stutter compared to non-stuttering children.
“There were no significant differences between the children who stutter and those who don’t according to either of the measures of anxiety or the communication apprehension measure, neither was there any relationship between stuttering severity and anxiety or communication apprehension,” Bianca said.
“Results of this study suggested that generalised anxiety and communication apprehension are not associated with early childhood stuttering, therefore it is unlikely anxiety is the root cause of stuttering.
“However, should early childhood stuttering persist, negative experiences in speaking situations could lead to the development of communication apprehension and perhaps generalised anxiety. Early intervention for stuttering may thus be crucial in preventing this development.”

Overcoming Disappointment

I was reading Overcoming Life's Disappointments by Harold Kushner and came upon a chapter that most stutterers can relate to and may find helpful. Here are some quotes from the chapter "A Hard Road, Not a Smooth One."

"Most people show an astonishing capacity for emotional healing. They go through a period of anger and/or depression, but most of the time they find their way through it and emerge ready to pick up their lives and go on."

"When life has dealt you a painful blow, let it hurt but trust yourself to get over it."

Talking to a young teen with diabetes "This is unfair and you don't deserve it. But don't let this one thing define you. Most of you works just fine; there is just one small part of you that's malfunctioning. Try to keep it in perspective."

"Concentrate on what you have, not just on what you have lost."

"When part of your world has collapsed, make do with what you have left and don't stop celebrating."

I think all of us can learn from these words.