Speech problem

[you like to cheat]

For quite some time (years) I have had a speech problem - difficulties pronouncing words correctly and clearly, talking a bit fast so that people have a hard time understanding me, basically my speech is not clear. And yes, I do have a slight anxiety disorder.

How do I deal with it (on a daily basis)? Before I start talking I try to calm myself down; before I start talking I try to breath out and then say my words; and during talking I sometimes have to (really) tighten my vocal muscles so that my words would be more clearer (English is not my first language, so I hope that the last part of this sentence made any sense) - and all of this improves the quality of my speech, sometimes a bit more and sometimes a bit less.

But what I have noticed (and this may sound a bit dumb) is that when I eat cottage cheese (and also chocolate), my speech becomes more clear, in some level even perfect - words are pronounced clearly and no word endings goes missing (and water does not have this effect on me).

Can someone enlighten me on this subject; I mean, does that liquid substance have some kind of a positive effect on my throat? And also the thing about tightening my vocal muscles - are they weak or something?

Any help is deeply appreciated.

 

[Kathryn C]

:wave: How's your hearing? Slight hearing loss, the kind you might not even notice, can seriously effect speech.


I'd suggest you see a ENT (ear, nose and throat) doctor to rule out any physical problems, and then get a referral to a speech therapist.

The vocal cords always work better when hydrated and you can have weak vocal cords - it's quite common. Some docs suggest singing lessons, really! Just like any muscles, exercising strengthens them.