A very useful skill I learned from Overcoming Social Anxiety: Step By Step is slow talk. I tend to talk fast when I am anxious and when I talk fast, a lot of people don’t understand what I’m saying. It frustrates me that many would ask me to repeat what I said, but I understand now I have been speaking too fast.

Speaking too fast is a reflection of a mind that’s thinking too fast. Wait, before you think I’m conceited and claiming my fast thoughts mean I’m also claiming that my mind is sharp and witty, well…that’s utterly wrong. I hate driving but here’s a possibly inaccurate analogy using drivers: those who speak too fast are like anxious drivers who drive fast out of pressure with no control behind the wheel; contrast that with an F1 driver who are a lot more composed on high speed. There’s a time and place for speaking fast, but anxious people like me tend to speak fast all the time which is problematic.

Slow talk doesn’t mean I talk the way parents talk to babies. It’s slowing down my speech to the point where it’s more understandable to others. In other words, when I slow talk, I talk as if I’m not flushed with anxiety and talk at the same speed I talk with a close friend or family member.

When I slow talk, my thoughts slow down as well. When my thoughts are slower, I can be more deliberate with what I’m saying instead of spewing a flood of words. Plus, people can keep up with my rate of speech. Of course, there are other factors that impact people’s understanding of my words, but slow talk helps to improve that measure which is good enough for me.

Though, I haven’t been able to slow talk in certain situations. Anger for example speeds me up the fastest and when I remembered to slow in the middle of a tirade, the damage has been done. I’m also a defensive person especially in matters when I think my self-worth is on the line and I’ll definitely speak too fast and make myself look like a fool. It’ll take time for me to be slow talking in those situations, but for now, I’m content with taking it slow.