Avoiding This is Making Your Stutter Worse (Here’s How to Stop)
Let’s cut to the chase.
If you stutter, there’s a silent habit that’s probably holding you back more than the stutter itself.
👉 Avoidance.
Dodging phone calls
Switching out “hard” words
Skipping introductions
Staying silent when you really want to speak
Smiling and nodding when you had something powerful to say
Sound familiar?
Here’s the truth nobody talks about enough:
Avoidance doesn’t protect you — it traps you.
Every time you avoid, you reinforce the lie that your voice isn’t safe or worthy.
And over time?
That lie becomes your reality.
💥 It’s Time to Break the Avoidance Cycle. Here’s How:
1. Call it out.
Start tracking your avoidance in a “Speech Fear Journal.”
Ask: What did I avoid? Why? What story was I telling myself?
Naming the pattern gives you power over it.
2. Use “Opposite Action.”
If you want to avoid it — do it anyway.
Scared to say your name? Say it twice.
Avoiding a phone call? Dial it today.
This isn’t punishment. It’s training for courage.
3. Build Your Fear Ladder.
Write down 10 things you avoid in order of intensity — from “order coffee” to “speak at work.”
Now, go one step at a time.
Small wins build unshakable confidence.
4. Redefine Success.
Success isn’t fluency. It’s showing up — despite the fear.
You don’t need perfect speech to live a bold life.
You just need practice doing hard things.
🎁 Need Help Getting Started?
I created a FREE Stuttering & Mental Health Toolkit to help you tackle avoidance and boost emotional resilience.
Inside you’ll find:
✅ Mindset rewrites
✅ Grounding tools for anxious moments
✅ “Avoidance Breaker” worksheet
✅ Daily confidence prompts
👉 Get it FREE here or send me an email: stutterconnect@gmail.com
🔥 Ready for a deeper shift?
My brand new course, Brave Words: A Mental Health Survival Guide for People Who Stutter, is now open.
This course is for you if you're ready to:
Stop hiding
Break the mental patterns keeping you small
Rebuild your self-image and confidence from the inside out
🧠 It’s not about fluency.
It’s about freedom.
👉 Online course here– Join now and take the first brave step.
You don’t have to let avoidance run your life.
You don’t have to wait until you “fix” your stutter.
You can take your power back today.
🎤 Speak anyway.
💥 Live fully.
🛠 And grab the tools to help you do it.
—
Dr. McCool
Founder of Stutter Connect
@stutterconnect