Sweeney’s Stuttering Update – October 2023

Did you know that 1 in every 100 people has a stutter?

That’s over 80 million people across the globe, and I am one of them. With that in mind, it’s time for this month’s Sweeney’s Stuttering Update. I like to do these updates as a monthly log of my journey to speech fluency, bringing you along on the ride with me. Today’s blog is focused on raising some much-needed awareness around the topic of stuttering, let’s get into it.

Hello and Welcome to Sweeney’s Blogs!

Last Sunday was International Stuttering Awareness Day, a day dedicated to raising awareness of issues faced by people who stutter. One of the main difficulties that I used to struggle with regarding my speech was clearly communicating the true impact that a stutter can have on a person. While everybody stutters from time to time, for people who stutter, it typically runs a lot deeper.

I’ve had a stutter for as long as I can remember and it has played a massive role in my life so far. My speech has impacted me across so many areas, including my education, my professional career, my social life and so much more. Here are some of the issues that I’ve encountered along the way so far:

Answering/ making phone calls – this used to be one of my biggest fears, however, I’ve really started to improve here recently.
Adapting my control techniques – my stutter reacts differently in person than it does virtually, which has made it essential that I am flexible. with my control techniques. I have shared some of my “Sweeney’s Stuttering Solutions” here on the page, but I’ll be sure to start doing some more posts on them going forward.
General lack of awareness – whether it’s people finishing my sentences off for me, assuming I don’t want to talk or something else entirely, there is a heavy stigma surrounding the area. I’ll start to break this down more as we move forward on the page 🙂
Overcoming my worst enemy – my own self-belief has been my biggest obstacle in my journey, learning to embrace and appreciate my speech has been an enormous learning curve.

In my opinion, each and every stutter is different, from the triggers that cause the disruptions to the ways in which it impacts you, those around you and your wider lifestyle. Finding what solutions work well for you is the key to unlocking your speech fluency. While I may stutter from time to time, I’ll never let it stop me from achieving what I want to achieve in my life.

Raising awareness of stuttering is vitally important – while events such as International Stuttering Awareness Day are a great starting point, it’s crucial that we continue these conversations, normalising something which impacts so many people internationally. Let’s move forward with a patient and open mind, remembering that everyone has a voice and that everyone is worthy of feeling listened to and appreciated.

I’m on a mission to combat the lack of stuttering awareness, are you with me?

Would you like to see more speech-focused posts going forward?

I’d love to hear your thoughts ⤵️

Thanks for reading and I hope you have a lovely day!