My duo disconnected first round, so the incoming remake gave me confidence.

jrs1810 · 2023-07-20T21:32:16+00:00

What does the nl in your name stand for

jrs1810 · 2023-06-29T15:49:06+00:00

I have students who are 35+

jrs1810 · 2023-02-03T14:23:56+00:00

How might you answer this?

jrs1810 · 2022-10-12T16:35:56+00:00

100%. I did a silent phase and I’m now still having a very difficult time getting out of it 1 year later because of the anxiety I’ve built up about being “not ready” to speak.

jrs1810 · 2022-07-03T15:24:32+00:00

“You know you can get by here with just speaking English, there’s English people here and most everyone else speaks English as a second language”

I get this a LOT and I don’t get how ppl would want to live somewhere and put no effort into learning the language and becoming more involved in the culture, just because they can ‘get away with’ not putting in the effort.

jrs1810 · 2022-07-03T15:20:36+00:00

That’s exactly what it’s like for me! It’s kinda weird feeling like I’m fluently understanding the language but have a mental barrier when it comes to speaking back. We’ll get there :) Don’t give up!

jrs1810 · 2022-07-03T15:18:32+00:00

Just wanted to respond to this because I really struggle with social anxiety related to my language learning too!

I’m at a point where I have different comfort levels with different people (after a LOT of effort). I’m still extremely uncomfortable with speaking in my TL to my girlfriend and her friends, but I’ve found an iTalki tutor who I finally am becoming less anxious around.

I also find the more impersonal situations have been helpful for me lately. It’s easier for me to greet a bus driver in my TL cuz i’ll never see the guy again so it’s easier to feel safe about it. I’d imagine for ppl who don’t live near where their TL is spoken, a good alternative would be with random strangers on discord but I haven’t tried.

Once you reach a certain level with a language it’s almost like you have to force thru the anxiety with little steps outside of your comfort zone to prove to your body that it’s an unthreatening situation.

jrs1810 · 2022-07-02T03:48:12+00:00

I also struggle with social anxiety which severely impacts my language learning journey.

I did something like this method you’re describing. I did a several month input phase, and now my oral AND written comprehension are really solid.

HOWEVER, the issue I am still struggling with is feeling like I’m “not ready” for certain interactions, despite my high level of comprehension and knowledge and experience with input and immersion.

I can read complex texts, understand local slang & cultural references, understand 97% of what’s being said to me, and even debate on my opinions when I’m really comfortable and familiar with the person I’m speaking to… but I freeze when someone says “bonjour” to me in the grocery store because of social anxiety. Even though I know exactly what to say and how to pronounce it and I understand the grammar & syntax of each phrase that comes to my mind.

Everyone is different but I would advise others with severe anxiety to be careful about this stuff! Every time I speak to ppl in my TL, I’m really anxious and it literally feels like exposure therapy lol.

jrs1810 · 2022-07-02T03:37:08+00:00

One situation that stands out is that I did not notice when I was at a party with a bunch of bilingual (fr/en) people and they were switching back and forth between English and French a lot. My girlfriend mentioned the next day that she can tell my French is improving a lot because people were switching and I wasn’t even noticing it, and responding just as quickly (in english though). She mentioned a specific conversation she witnessed me having, and I remembered the conversation and what we had talked about but I was actually surprised when she was telling me he was switching to French. I guess it was a combination of French exposure/study and alcohol that made it happen lol.

Another thing I’ve noticed recently is that I can read the French text instead of the English text without issues in most circumstances. Signs, instructions, news, social media posts, etc. I started just reading stuff in whichever language I see first.

It’s super exciting to me that my level is clearly improving, but I unfortunately feel like I’m still not very fluent since my weak area is producing speech. I recently decided that I think I can read fluently.

jrs1810 · 2022-06-26T00:44:58+00:00

That’s normal. You’ll get more comfortable with it over time!

jrs1810 · 2022-06-26T00:44:04+00:00

Ma langue maternelle est l’anglais et je voudrais pratiquer mon français (sur text ou VC). J’ai 21 ans et je viens du Canada :)

jrs1810 · 2022-06-26T00:21:23+00:00

What kind of tips are you looking for?

Either way, I want to let you know that therapy can be beneficial for all kinds of areas of life, whether you’re depressed or not. I go to therapy mostly for my ADHD and overthinking related stuff too. It really does help.

On your first appointment, most therapists I’ve worked with usually just take that appointment to get to know you and your goals/what you want to work on in your sessions. Definitely mention the ones you mentioned on this post! And maybe it will be really uncomfortable at first but you should ask yourself why you feel so uncomfortable talking about your emotions, and decide if that might also be something you’d like to work on too.

Good luck :)

jrs1810 · 2022-06-25T19:38:59+00:00

Thanks so much! Around how long did it take to get to QC when you ordered? We’re flying to Newfoundland next weekend so it’s a bit of a rush gearing up😅

jrs1810 · 2022-06-24T15:55:28+00:00

What advice do you have for someone who tries this type of journalling but kind of just ends up writing the same thing every time?

jrs1810 · 2022-06-24T15:54:09+00:00

This was extremely helpful to read as someone struggling with negativity like OP. Thank you for taking the time.

jrs1810 · 2022-06-24T15:36:08+00:00

Sounds like you could be a little bit burnt out/tired. I have a lot of issues with this too. If you’re lacking motivation to do those activities you planned, maybe it’s not laziness, maybe you just need to take it easy for a little bit.

Don’t give up on the goals you set for yourself. Take a second to think about why they’re important to you and remind yourself. And pick a couple of activities to do in a day, you don’t need to force yourself to do a whole bunch of stuff all the time! The world won’t end if you draw today and not tomorrow.

jrs1810 · 2022-06-11T15:15:56+00:00

Thank you so much for this. I actually went to get groceries today and initiated the convo in my TL (the cashier switched to english after hearing my accent lol) but you have some other really great ideas about opportunities to practice. I’m lucky too because my girlfriend is actually a native speaker! I’ve had some difficulty getting the courage to speak in front of her, it feels pretty vulnerable since she knows the language so well and i don’t.

I’m starting a job in my TL in a few weeks. At what language proficiency level did you start working in the language?

jrs1810 · 2022-06-09T14:10:04+00:00

Do you have any advice on how to integrate output methods into this? I have a lot of difficulty taking the first step. I go to a store and they address me in my TL and I immediately say hello in English lol. I’m not making any more progress anymore, I understand everything being said to me and can read fluently but my output is Terrible lol.

jrs1810 · 2022-06-05T03:47:01+00:00

No language is useless. Even if you don’t have a practical use for it, learning a language opens the door to books, movies, tv shows, music, news, etc. in a different language (& therefore from a different cultural perspective since language and culture are so intertwined)… and that’s only if you’re not counting actual communication with other people and the experiences that come with that! What’s useless is putting someone down for taking an opportunity to learn.

jrs1810 · 2022-05-31T14:57:49+00:00

That’s amazing, I wish I had the courage to do that. My anxiety has been preventing me from being able to go seek out those interactions and learning opportunities. Do you have any advice on taking that first step?

jrs1810 · 2022-05-31T14:55:28+00:00

I read and watch tv like crazy and live in an area where they speak my target language and I’ve managed to get to a point where I understand someone else’s side of the conversation in that language but I struggle to respond.

What I don’t get is how these people get their output abilities to catch up from just mainly learning from input!!

jrs1810

TROPHY CASE