Overcome Stuttering – When You’re Motivated, You Will!
Most people who overcome stuttering want to maintain the fluency of their speech. They claim that they use their technique every time they open their mouths to speak.
It is not a difficult concept. The use of skills to overcome stuttering can be compared to the use of other life skills. People choose to train in all kinds of activities during their lives. Sometimes it is your boss who tells you that you should take a course on this or that. Motivation for these situations tends to come from a desire to please, to be promoted, to be seen as compliant, or simply to improve your understanding of a topic or area that your boss felt you needed to improve on. These kinds of things happen regularly in most people’s lives. Whether or not the individual retains newly learned information or techniques depends largely on the relevance or importance of the new knowledge in the individual’s daily activities.
As human beings, we really only retain information, ideas, and techniques that are important to us, our lives. If something is useful or we have an interest in a certain area or activity then we are more inclined to adopt the ideas or activity. Sometimes certain activities that we choose to engage in require a lot of concentration and practice for us to become proficient. I would like to use the example of ‘golf’. Playing golf is an activity that many people enjoy socially and, for many, competitively. Some social players frustrated with their game feel that they would benefit from taking professional lessons in the art of hitting the ball and thinking correctly, because as we all know, there is much more to being an excellent golfer than just being able to swing correctly. During golf lessons, players would be taught the correct techniques for hitting the ball, club selection, the effect of weather and the surface of the green, etc. In addition to practical information, the instructor will discuss the mental attitude towards the game of golf and how to be positive, calm and assertive and employ the correct relaxed breathing technique before hitting the ball.
The results of all this information vary with each recipient. Some people will think about what they have learned during the course and forget most of it when they play another round. Some will think about the money they have spent on the course, that will only motivate them to use many of the techniques initially, but many, after a while, fall by the wayside. Some people with high levels of motivation and a desire to play golf at the highest level understand that they have been given all the tools to play golf well, they have been given ideas of what needs to happen in their minds to be consistently successful. . They realize that success in this bewildering sport will only come with strict perseverance and practice. They take every opportunity to practice because they can see an improvement in their game and their confidence is growing. They address your technique and thoughts before approaching the ball. They may not always think in the right way when they hit the ball, so they push themselves to seek more knowledge. “How can I think straight?” “How can I be more controlled and calm before hitting the ball?” “I still feel tense before hitting the ball, my breathing is not adequate.” To improve in these areas, many may choose to seek further help, for example by taking a yoga or meditation course.
Carrying out a good home therapy for stuttering is only the first step in overcoming stuttering. For people who are highly motivated in their quest for fluency, giving up is not an option. Getting control of your stutter for the first time is wonderful and liberating and if you want that to continue then it has to come from within. Once you have the initial tools for recovery, the rest is YES, IT’S UP TO YOU! Address your technique every time you go to speak, use your daily reinforcement, use your support network, and enjoy the feeling that fluency can offer. Be the boss of your mind and overcome stuttering. Join me on that path to speaking fluency.