Finding strength in every pause By Iknoor Kaur
Have you ever wanted to say something but felt your words get stuck? Like you couldn’t deliver what you actually wanted to say? Hi, I’m Iknoor Kaur. I’m a psychology student, but more importantly, I’m someone who has lived with stammering for years. My journey with it hasn’t always been easy it has been filled with pauses, repeats, and moments of silence when I wished my words would just flow. For a long time, I kept these experiences to myself, but now I feel ready to share them. That’s why I’ve started this blog. To all those wondering what stammering is, it’s basically a speech disorder where a person has trouble saying some words smoothly. The speech may get stuck, repeat or have long pauses. It’s not because the person doesn’t know what to say, their mind is clear but the words don’t come out easily.
One of my earliest memories of stammering was in school, when I stood up to introduce myself. I knew my name, of course, but when I tried to say it, the sound just wouldn’t come out. My heart pounded, and I could feel every pair of eyes on me. It wasn’t just about struggling with speech it was about feeling different, misunderstood, and sometimes even invisible. Over the years, I’ve learned to live with stammering in different ways. Each experience has shaped me, teaching me patience, resilience, and empathy.
I am writing this blog not just for myself, but for everyone who has ever felt unheard because of their voice. Millions of people stammer, yet it’s still a topic that’s often misunderstood. Some think it’s just about nerves or something you can “fix” by trying harder. But stammering is much more complex, it’s tied to the way the brain and speech work together, and it often changes with stress, emotion, and environment.
Through this blog I want to:
- Break myths around stammering
- Share my experiences
- Give comfort and confidence to others who stammer
- Help non-stammerers understand how to support
What to expect here? In the coming days, I’ll be posting personal stories, simple explanations of what stammering really is, and practical tips that have helped me. I’ll also share reflections that capture how stammering feels from the inside. Stammering may pause my words, but it will never silence my voice. This blog is my way of speaking freely one story at a time. If you’ve ever stammered, or know someone who does, I hope these blogs remind you that none of us are alone in this.It might feel like you are alone but I feel you and I hear you
Thank you for reading.
~ Iknoor Kaur
