International Stuttering Awareness Day: tips on living with a stammer and how to feel better about yourself
- Accepting your condition and being open and honest about the ways it affects you can be liberating, the founder of The Indian Stammering Association says
- Secondary behaviours such as blinking quickly or facial twitches can be brought more under control with exercises
For almost 45 years, Satyendra Srivastava’s happiness hinged on the number of words he stammered, or did not, in a day. He celebrated days that would pass without him stammering a single word, and was hard on himself when his speech faltered.
When Srivastava, a physician and social worker in India, found his spiritual calling, he realised that as a person he was much more than just his speech. He poured his thoughts into a blog in 2008, which later snowballed into a nationwide community that became The Indian Stammering Association (Tisa).
Tisa – made up of self-help groups, online courses, daily virtual meetings, counselling, communication workshops and more – has more than 4,000 active members. The confidence they gain from being part of the community has not just helped them improve their communication, but has also trickled down to other areas of their life.
For International Stuttering Awareness Day on October 22, Srivastava draws from years of his own research and the collective experience of Tisa members to offer tips for people who stutter – there are 70 million worldwide – that go beyond speech therapy and aim at well-being.
Acceptance sets you free
Far too many people who stutter try to hide it. They withdraw and avoid talking in gatherings or even making friends. But, Srivastava says, that can stifle your emotions and affect everything you do. Accepting your stammer and being open about it can be liberating, he says. Face your emotions; do not bury them. Let go of the shame attached to stuttering and see your life change. To achieve this, begin by writing a journal or talking about it with people you trust.