How Do You Communicate?

Ever since I was little communicating with others has never been my strong point. I was always known as the quiet girl, the shy one even the mute one when I was younger. It wasn’t due to a lack of trying; I would speak but always too quietly, I’d stutter when I was nervous which was constantly. I would try to talk like everyone around me but it never seemed like I communicated or said the right thing. People thought I was odd, a bit weird and I guess I was. A lot of the time I chose to just not talk because it was easier.

I had such a tough time getting what I said in my head out and to sound the way I wanted it too that I let myself become known as the shy and quiet girl. Verbal communication was my worst skill but written forms of communicating I excelled in. I found that through writing I had more time to form my thoughts. To get what I wanted to say right and on the paper and really state what I wanted to state. That’s one of the original reasons I fell in love with the writing because it gave me a way to communicate when otherwise I would have been silenced. Not knowing at such a young age how to get passed that verbal barrier I had.

I think it’s something that we don’t talk about enough; the sheer loneliness and isolation one can feel when struggling to find their voice. Were all taught that communication is key but for those who struggle to form words and to really communicate in the normal way it can be really hard. I always felt like the odd one out because of my inability to really know how to get my point across and felt jealous of those who spoke so easily.

We forget that communication is not only a verbal practice that people communicate in all sorts of ways and speaking is just one of them. People communicate through sign language where words are not only not used but not needed for individuals who are deaf. Through movement of dance one that is used by many cultures to tell stories and history. Through music too which can communicate a message with instrumental music or lyrical songs. We have the habit of limiting people to spoken words because it’s what society deems as normal. But why? Why is any other type of connecting with others seen as odd or bizarre? We all don’t have the same strengths and it would be odd for everyone to be expected to.

Traditional communication is not my strong suite and never has been but it doesn’t have to be. Finding your voice can be tricky but your voice can come in many different forms don’t be limited by what everyone else around you expects of you.