5 Tips to Relax Your Stuttering
With nearly 1% of all of the US suffering from a stuttering problem you may be wondering what steps you can take to rid yourself of this plague. This can be a condition that has affected you your entire life or one that has come on recently due to some type of trauma or situation. It may be something that you do only on certain instances such as when you’re nervous or anxious or it can be something that happens whenever you speak. Regardless, you have probably thought at one time or another about finding ways to stop or perhaps rid your stuttering.
There are five simple tips that can help you to control your stuttering. It may not be able to fully prevent it but with practice you can limit it. The first step is to make sure to take a deep breath before you speak. This may sound a bit silly and a bit too easy but it helps to eliminate any anxiety before you speak. If you’re anxious and nervous it can only make the situation worse, not better.
The second step is to sing! Now, you don’t have to be a great singer or even one that draws a crowd but practicing singing with some type of rhythm to your words can help you decrease your stuttering. Another step is don’t rush it! You may fee like you’re going a bit too slow but if you slow down your speech you can allow yourself more time to get the words out and hence less stuttering can take place. If you are going to be giving a speech in public then you may want to avoid looking at any one particular person in the crowd. Many times for presentations they’ll tell you to focus on the participants and give them your attention but in this instance you should try to focus on something in the back of the room such as an inanimate object.
While stuttering does affect only a small percentage of the US population researchers have shown that if you play some type of character while speaking it can reduce the amount of stuttering.
If you have been lucky enough not to suffer from stuttering then congratulations! For those of us who have a difficult time with it, it can be overwhelming and cause anxiety. Remember, slow down your speech and focus before you speak.