Can anxiety really cause speech issues?

[melfish]

I've come across a few anxiety sites they say yes, but I've not seen it mentioned anywhere else. Can anxiety over speaking mess up your speaking? Specifically, mispronunciation, clumsiness, words running into one another, being unable to enunciate clearly?

Has this happened to anyone here?

[AntsyVee]

Yes. Just think about it. Most people get nervous about public speaking. They stutter, speak too fast, say things like "um" and "uh" or don't remember what they've said. Now multiply that by multiple days of anxiety.

[melfish]

Yes. Just think about it. Most people get nervous about public speaking. They stutter, speak too fast, say things like "um" and "uh" or don't remember what they've said. Now multiply that by multiple days of anxiety.

Thanks, friend

---------- Post added at 19:53 ---------- Previous post was at 19:49 ----------

It's hard to tell if it's all the time, or just when I focus on it. I've no way of telling if it's still messed up when I'm not paying attention to it. If a tree falls in a forest ...

[MyNameIsTerry]

To add to what Vee said, how about people who are exhausted? Do they act tip top all the time? This question is largely the same as for the memory issue threads we get on here - your cognitive functions suffer when you are knackered as many a sleep deprivation study will show. The same with mental health problems.

I've seen plenty of threads about speech issues. They often tend to be HAers and about things like brain tumours or ALS.

I've experienced many issues with memory, as mentioned across plenty of threads about this subject since being on here, and also with speech.

Slurring, mispronouciation, etc can all occur in anyone for many reasons. Drink, tiredness, being distracted by several people demanding your time at once, etc.

Just look at actors' outtakes. We used to call it being tongue-tied when I was younger.

Something you may come across with anxiety sites/sufferers are issues with the tongue and excess saliva. The tongue feels bigger, like it no longer fits in your mouth. It's well known we lift the tongue to the mouth ceiling rather than relax it. We change our breathing. And I'll put money on all these causing speech issues.

[swajj]

Speaking is something we do without thinking. It’s like breathing. Breathing is an automatic process but as many with HA will tell you the minute we start trying to control our breathing we start having breathing problems eg unable to take a deep breath. So the minute you start trying to control your speech you are interfering with an automatic process and problems with speaking normally will occur.

[jojo2316]

YES YES YES!
I find that I'll find certain combinations of words really hard to pronounce together and when it happens I feel a jolt of panic and go off and practice in private and record myself like a weirdo. Do you do that? Record yourself and listen back to it while locked in the loo? I feel such a freak!!

[melfish]

Speaking is something we do without thinking. It’s like breathing. Breathing is an automatic process but as many with HA will tell you the minute we start trying to control our breathing we start having breathing problems eg unable to take a deep breath. So the minute you start trying to control your speech you are interfering with an automatic process and problems with speaking normally will occur.

This is what I am thinking may be happening. I am very aware of the location and movements of my tongue, especially, when I'm speaking and to a lesser degree my lips. I think this is "getting in the way" of speaking naturally. I hope this is the case. It would also explain why when I'm distracted and speaking without this hypervigilance, I don't notice myself stumbling.

---------- Post added at 10:10 ---------- Previous post was at 10:08 ----------

YES YES YES!
I find that I'll find certain combinations of words really hard to pronounce together and when it happens I feel a jolt of panic and go off and practice in private and record myself like a weirdo. Do you do that? Record yourself and listen back to it while locked in the loo? I feel such a freak!!

Ha, no, I have not done that. Thanks for the suggestion
I have, however, read aloud and tried to say tongue twisters (poorly!)

[AnxiousGirl1]

I get this a lot now and I feel like it's really affecting my communication. Does anyone have any advice on how to overcome this? Once you start overanalysing it and paying so much attention to it, it is very hard not to.

[melfish]

TThe tongue feels bigger, like it no longer fits in your mouth. It's well known we lift the tongue to the mouth ceiling rather than relax it. We change our breathing. And I'll put money on all these causing speech issues.

Terry that was how this all started. I was sitting reading one evening and it hit me, this feeling that my tongue was too big for my mouth, and then suddenly I felt like it was moving by itself in my mouth Sure enough, I went and looked in the mirror and the tip was curling up and back, slowly and rhythmically. I FREAKED OUT, and had the worst panic attack of my life and ended up in hospital. This was how my tongue obsession began.

[tryingtosurvive1]

yeah, I think so.
Look I can't remember exactly how long you've had tongue worries but with ALS I'd think you'd be quite progressed by now. Way beyond what you describe.