Gaining confidence in your stutter
Hi! My name is Julianna Arellano and I’m a senior at CSUF. My question is, when did you recognize a positive turning point in your confidence as a PWS? Was it after successfully completing a conversation or speech you didn’t think you were capable of? Was it after months or years in speech therapy? I would love to hear your experience and any tips you might have for someone that still struggles with gaining confidence in their stutter.
Hi Julianna. Thanks for your question. In my opinion, the ‘confidence’ comes very differently for every PWS. It may be at the age of 6 (eg: when someone appreciates them for their small feats) or at the age of 40 (eg: when they get their first funding for a start-up). For me, it came at the age of 22-23, when I first moved out to a big city. When I realized people care less about the way you speak and more about what you have to say! My experience very well matches with the theme of this ISAD conference – be the change you wish to see, change is the keyword here. My tip is – lookout for a change, be it a change in your mindset, be it a change in your personality, your friend circle, your city, your education, etc. In change, you will be able to break the old shackles and be born into a new life!
I was able to find my authentic voice, and confidence, when I was finally sick and tired of living my life as a fraud. I had allowed stuttering, and fear of stuttering, to really hijack my personality. I could see I had drawn the lines between “Fake Pam” and “Real Pam” and it just became too much.
I wanted to be free, open and have the world accept me for who I am. To do that, I had to accept me first. From there, my authentic voice was set free.
And I finally felt the confidence to move forward, instead of always taking two steps back.
Pam