The first day of class…

I hated it.

I used to skip all my classes on the first day of school.

I still remember those incidents like it was yesterday.

The first day of school and the teacher walks into the class, gives us a short introduction and expects us to get up and INTRODUCE ONE BY ONE.

…And that’s when you realize it’s “THAT” time again where you’ll be going on an emotional roller coaster full of STRESS, FEAR, DOUBT, FRUSTRATION, UNCERTAINTY and a whole bunch of NEGATIVE THOUGHTS.

You start counting desks to figure out how many classmates are ahead of you before it’s YOUR TURN to introduce yourself… and worst of all, you see ALL your friends doing it like EASILY while enjoying the process.

The first question you ask yourself is;

“Why can’t I do an EASY task like say MY OWN NAME and introduce myself in 2-3 sentences? WHY! WHY! WHY!” It FRUSTS us so much.

Our negative inner SELF DISPOSAL doesn’t stop there and continues to destroy us.

So why do we have problems in those kinds of situations? Why are we afraid of stuttering in front of others?

Being seen as inadequate and less than others perhaps?

At the core of this behavior, there is…

The fear of BEING JUDGED!

We worry too much about what others THINK ABOUT US. Let me tell you a rule of thumb when it comes to fear and limiting beliefs.

The only way to dissolve a fear is to FACE that fear, CHALLENGE your LIMITING BELIEFS surrounded by that specific fear, and PROVE to yourself over and over again that you can achieve positive results in real life, even if the fear is present.

That would lead you to start dissolving that fear and eventually get rid of it completely!

In general, this also applies to overcoming the challenge of stuttering. But for the purpose of this article, let’s look at our specific example:

The fear is; show up in class.

Here is a step by step strategy that I call FDS (FEAR DISSOLUTION STRATEGY) that will provide you with the solution for our specific case.

Step 1: Get in the right mindset

Accept that you have a speech challenge and that you are working on it to dissolve your stuttering iceberg. This is a process that you are improving every day until you reach your ultimate goal and speak the way you want to speak in any situation and under any circumstance.

Try to minimize your tendency to hold back and get lost in limiting beliefs. Your speech is NOT your identity, it’s not who you are, it’s what you do.

Think about the same situation. However, this time imagine that all your classmates and the teacher are 2 YEARS OLD and can’t even think straight.

Would you stutter that much in that case?

I do not think. Because?

Because the main reason why you stutter in that situation is the search for approval and your FEAR OF BEING JUDGED for your way of speaking.

You think you WILL NOT RECEIVE APPROVAL and LIKES if you stutter in front of those people.

But in the alleged case you would know that you are superior and you will not be judged no matter what.

…and of course, as a result, the fear and all the negative emotions and thoughts that TRIGGER YOUR STUTTERING BEHAVIOR would not be there.

Step 2 – Equip yourself with effective tools and techniques

Stay calm, confident, and use your speaking tools and techniques without apology. These can be both mental and physical speaking techniques such as breathing, speaking cycle, easy or assertive initiation, speaking from the chest/head/abdominals, imagining words are made of air or water, making a pause just before his name and a million more. that is available to you.

Step 3: Face the fear over and over again

Getting a single positive result will not be enough to dissolve that piece of your stuttering iceberg. You simply need to face that fear enough times and get positive results in real life until that fear eventually COMPLETELY DISSOLVES and is gone.

Facing a fear when equipped with tools, techniques, and strategies works even if you don’t get the exact results you want in the early stages. The more you avoid a fear and all the negative emotions it will bring you, the worse it becomes… and the more you face it, the weaker the fear and negative emotions become.

Step 4 – Challenge your limiting beliefs and show you can do it

Never avoid this specific speaking situation. In fact, BELIEVE other similar situations in which you are expected to present yourself.

Search the Internet, find groups that meet regularly, and attend their group meetings. This way, you will put yourself in that dreaded situation and perform in front of a group enough times to dissolve that specific part of your stuttering iceberg.

I know it may sound intimidating at first, but I am a firm believer that the REWARD will be worth it.

One last note…