Shadowing Practice: I’m Begging You: Replace Scrolling With These Habits - Learn English Speaking with Video

To change a bad habit you need to make the good ones easy to do and the bad ones hard to do.

The thing most get wrong about this is that they move too fast.

They pick something, they go hard for 2-3 weeks and then they quit.

And then they feel worse before they even started.

This is because they never tied that habit to their identity.

And they never changed their environment to support what they wanted to do.

Here are 13 habits you can choose from to fix your dopamine addiction.

I use several of them myself and I work years in mental health

and I'm all about reclaiming your attention and building something real that will last.

And I've saved the most important one for last

so make sure you see the whole video to get that one as well.

And it's actually the one people never managed to really do right.

Let's start with the first one.

Walk without distraction.

Okay so leave your phone at home.

We want zero input.

You know there's a network in the brain

that is called the default mode network this is where your

brain process your life your thoughts your ideas scrolling keeps

that network permanently off

and a walk without distraction switches it back on I started doing this deliberately

and the first few times I felt I didn't feel really cool I did feel like I was wasting time

but after a while I did notice something that was shifting and so I did get ideas.

I kind of thought about problems and they kind of solved themselves.

And so now I love to walk without distraction.

I do it all the time.

And it really is one of the simplest thing you can do on this list.

And it is also one of the most underrated ones.

Okay, let's go over to number two.

Number two is write daily,

just for yourself, whatever is on your mind, unfiltered alone.

So I have kept a journal for over 10 years,

and it has been one of the most important things for me to get mental clarity.

And by doing so, I become more articulated,

I get more ideas, I process my emotions and thoughts and lives a lot better.

Because when you write, you also force yourself to slow down.

And you have to process what's inside you to articulate it,

to find the words for it.

And research backs this up.

It shows that excessive writing,

it reduces mental noise, and it increases your cognitive clarity.

So writing is, you can look at writing as a detox for your brain.

And I have to remember that you don't need to be a good writer to write.

You don't need anything actually,

you just need to open a notebook and you have to start writing.

One minute, three minutes, five minutes.

If you want to level up yourself and become more articulated,

writing is one of the best places to start and it is a place that's entirely yours.

But I would also say that writing only works if your brain focuses long enough to process what you've written.

And this is where most people is actually losing.

And this brings us to number three.

Number three is read with deep focus.

Okay, you can read a book from start to finish.

You don't need to read the whole book straight ahead.

Start with one page, put your phone in another room, and just read.

The thing about scrolling is that it fragments your attention.

But reading does the opposite.

It does train your brain to stay with something for an extended period of time.

And this is actually called sustained attention.

And that quality is becoming rare.

Number four.

When you scroll, you get dopamine without earning it.

When you lift, you earn it.

Number four is strength training.

Research confirms that strength training increases dopamine in the brain.

And over time, this helps to recalibrate the reward system that scrolling has dulled down.

And so strength training improves your baseline.

When you strength train if you especially have been scrolling excessively for years you will feel

that real life starts to feel

more rewarding again so i have been lifting for years

and the discipline it builds is something that spills into everything i do

because when i show up for the gym even on days i don't want to

I get the feeling of finishing what I started.

I get a feeling of agency over my life.

And I do learn that this comfort leads somewhere.

Because I can see the results in the mirror.

And this is something that sets you up for a long and fulfilling life.

This is the opposite of what scrolling does to you.

Number five.

Run, do aerobic, do cardio.

Aerobic exercise is one of the most well-documented ways to stabilize your mood and to improve your baseline.

A 2024 study published by the Journal of Psychology found

that dopamine plays a key role in why cognitive performance improves with exercise.

It improves reaction time, it improves focus,

and it improves how rewarding everyday life feels.

You don't need to go hard.

A 30-minute run at a pace where you can keep a conversation going is enough.

And remember that consistency matters over intensity.

To a 20-minute run, a 10-minute run,

just start with the amount that you can do and build from there.

This increases and builds a body and mind that handle discomfort.

Number six is all about learning a hard skill.

Learning a hard skill is about something that requires real focus, real effort.

For me, it's been all about learning how to edit videos.

It's been about learning how to be a good writer.

Maybe for you, it can be about the same,

or it can be about learning how to code.

Vibe coding is all the new trends right now.

It can be a language, an instrument.

100

Okay, let me just say,

101

here is why that works.

102

Research shows that dopamine acts as a teaching signal to the brain and it fires precisely when you learn something new,

103

reinforcing the connections that help you improve.

104

This is earned dopamine.

105

You can sign up for a class or something you've been curious about.

106

This gives you structure, it gives you accountability and it gives you a chance of building new connections along the way.

107

Learning a hard skill gives you stimulation and progression.

108

Pick one thing, go deep,

109

stay with it, and make it as frictional as you can.

110

Making a new skill naturally makes you more curious.

111

But most people sabotage that every single morning without knowing it.

112

Number seven will help you stop that.

113

Number seven, fasting from the news.

114

Okay, not forever of course,

115

but I will say just take a deliberately long break.

116

Most news is designed the same way as social media unpredictable, urgent, emotionally charged.

117

There's breaking news, notifications, always another thing to react to.

118

Remember that your nervous system doesn't know the difference between a real threat and a headline.

119

Your nervous system responds the same way.

120

I've actually made a video about it

121

and you can see it in one of those corners right now if you want to check that out.

122

There is research published in 2025 that found

123

that news avoidance can actually have a positive effect on mental health and mental well-being.

124

I wouldn't say that it's because staying informed is a good thing necessarily,

125

but because compulsive news consumption is driven by anxiety and it does make things worse for you.

126

So I would say just pick one day a week where there is no news

127

and maybe eventually you can pick a whole week without news

128

and you'll be surprised at how little you actually missed and how much calmer you will feel.

129

Number eight, create something, anything,

130

whatever it is from scratch.

131

This is all about output over input.

132

Scrolling is pure consumption.

133

You take in, you take in,

134

you take in, and you produce nothing.

135

Over time, this creates an imbalance in your brain.

136

Eventually, it can lead to a feeling of being passive in your own life,

137

like you are a spectator.

138

But creating things flips that.

139

We have been creating things for centuries we actually evolved into creating tools to gather to hunter you can do

140

that by writing for scripts you can do

141

that just by journaling you can do that by building you can do

142

that by cooking it doesn't matter what it is it just matters

143

that you do the act of making something forces your brain to produce instead of consume

144

and that shift changes how you see yourself So for me,

145

I started making YouTube videos and the process of writing a script

146

and Shooting those videos putting up the light

147

and making everything as flawless as I could not perfect I am evolving every day,

148

but that feeling yes It is hard,

149

but it gives me something scrolling

150

and consuming never has it gives me a sense of agency like I am in control of my own life

151

and a sense of actually doing something with my time here on earth and remember

152

that you don't need to be good you just need to

153

do number nine play strategy games there is chess there is poker there is trivial pursuit

154

or wherever anything that requires slow deliberate thinking something

155

that keeps you off a damn phone

156

so i have arranged a lot of game nights for me my friends

157

and there is something that happens when you sit across from someone and you actually have to think about your next move,

158

just you and the problem ahead.

159

There is a study about this.

160

A 2024 study published in Frontiers in Psychology found that chess activates and supports decision making,

161

problem solving, working memory and sustained attention.

162

Cognitive function that scrolling actively erodes playing this actually forces you to be more present.

163

You can't half play a game of chess while also scrolling.

164

Playing strategy games demands something from you and that is exactly the point.

165

It trains you to think slower

166

but the next habit actually trains you to hear yourself and most people have never done that.

167

But to evolve you need to do and to understand this let's look at number 10.

168

Record yourself speaking.

169

It may sound strange, but you have to try it.

170

I did this a lot before I started making videos for YouTube and it was really interesting.

171

You just have to pick one topic that you're interested about or know something about.

172

It can be whatever it is.

173

Press record and then just talk for two to four minutes.

174

And then you close your eyes and you listen back.

175

The thing is most people never truly hear themselves.

176

Think out loud.

177

But when you do, you start noticing your own patterns.

178

You start noticing where your thinking is clear.

179

You start noticing where it is not and where you're just filling silence with whatever noise you came up with.

180

This is actually called metacognition,

181

thinking about your own thinking.

182

And this is actually one of the most underused tools for building mental clarity.

183

You don't have to share it with anyone.

184

You just have to do it.

185

Look at this as a mirror into your own mind.

186

Okay, we're almost done now.

187

If any of this resonates with you, please hit subscribe.

188

All it takes is a drop of curiosity to change your life.

189

It starts with taking back your attention.

190

Let's start that conversation.

191

Number 11, social interactions without your phone.

192

A lot of people feel that they can't walk outside without their phone.

193

They feel like they can't be with friends without their phone.

194

But we need real human connections with eye contact,

195

with the feeling of being present.

196

There is actually a study that shows that eye contact is now becoming rare.

197

Between 2019 and 2024, one behavioral medicine center recorded a 908% increase in Gen Z seeking treatment for social anxiety,

198

with the research suggesting that heavy social media leads people to see themselves as static images rather than living,

199

present human beings.

200

This is all about when you spend your time on screens, performing, liking, commenting.

201

Being truly seen by another person in real life can feel scary or uncomfortable.

202

But when you're with people and your phone is in another room,

203

there is a shift happening in the brain.

204

You're forced to actually listen.

205

And so it means that the conversation goes somewhere.

206

And then it leads to a build up of resilience.

207

And here's what I've noticed doing this when I'm fully present with people,

208

I feel a lot more connected and I feel better with myself afterwards.

209

Put the phone away, make eye contact, show up.

210

That's it.

211

Okay, number 12, cook from scratch.

212

I really, really love this.

213

This is just about no phones,

214

no screens, no podcast, nothing.

215

Just you, the ingredients and the process.

216

A 2025 review of cooking therapy studies found that Cooking promotes mindfulness,

217

self-expression and mental well-being.

218

The act of preparing food from scratch is one of the most accessible forms of present moment awareness available to us.

219

Ok, just think about it.

220

You know the smell of onion and garlic hitting the pan?

221

The rhythm you get from chopping onions or chopping vegetables?

222

The texture of dough?

223

Every step when you make food pull you into

224

that moment you can't scroll and cook at the same time not really

225

and the thing is and the thing about this

226

when you're done you have actually created something real something

227

that you can eat i would say

228

that do at least one full of meal a week no phone no screens no nothing just you

229

and the food number 13 the last one one of the

230

most important ones this is boredom training this This is all about sitting still and doing nothing.

231

No input.

232

I've actually made a video about it.

233

I will link it in the description.

234

This is the most direct antidote toward scrolling.

235

And this is one of the most things people struggle with.

236

Every time you reach for the phone in a quiet moment,

237

you are training your brain that silence is something that needs to be filled.

238

Boredom training does the opposite.

239

I do boredom training regularly now.

240

five ten minutes here five ten minutes there

241

and it really does make me feel more alive more connected

242

and more present with life i would say that

243

if you want to go deeper into why boredom is

244

so important and how it works check out the video i referred here until next time stay curious

✨ Recomendar Video

246 oraciones

Vocabulario y notas de pronunciación para esta lección

Esta lección de conversación de nivel B2 se basa en el vídeo “I’m Begging You: Replace Scrolling With These Habits”. Este vídeo tiene 244 frases y 2470 palabras para practicar shadowing. La parte hablada dura 15:07. El hablante habla a un ritmo natural de unas 163 palabras por minuto, cercano a una conversación cotidiana. El 85 % de las palabras está entre las 3.000 más comunes del inglés; conviene repasar el resto antes de empezar.

Vocabulario clave de este vídeo

Las 15 palabras más avanzadas del vídeo, con su pronunciación y significado:

Palabra	Pronunciación	Significado
scroll sustantivo	/skɹoʊl/	rollo, pergamino
dopamine sustantivo	/ˈdoʊ.pəˌmin/	dopamina
boredom sustantivo	/ˈbɔɹ.dəm/	aburrimiento, tedio
articulate verbo	/ɑːɹˈtɪk.jə.leɪt/	articular, vocalizar
distraction sustantivo	/dɪsˈtɹæk.ʃən/	distracción
evolve verbo	/ɪˈvɑlv/	desarrollar
clarity sustantivo	/ˈklæɹ.ɪ.ti/	claridad
chess sustantivo	/t͡ʃɛs/	ajedrez, escaques
cognitive adjetivo	/ˈkɑɡ.nɪ.tɪv/	cognitivo, cognoscitivo
scratch verbo	/skɹæt͡ʃ/	rascar
aerobic adjetivo	/ɛəˈɹoʊ.bɪk/	aeróbico
baseline sustantivo	/ˈbeɪslaɪn/	línea basal
chop verbo	/t͡ʃɑp/	picar, tajar
consume verbo	/kənˈsum/	consumir
onion sustantivo	/ˈʌn.jən/	cebolla

Phrasal verbs que vas a escuchar

Palabra	Significado
check out verbo	investigar, chequear
come up with verbo	ingeniar, ingeniarse
put up verbo	colgar
show up verbo	comparecer, personarse
slow down verbo	desacelerar, decelerar
take back verbo	retirar, retractarse

Frases que vale la pena repetir

Frases cortas y completas del vídeo que puedes reutilizar en la conversación diaria:

Let's start with the first one.
You don't need to go hard.
You don't have to share it with anyone.
You're forced to actually listen.
You know the smell of onion and garlic hitting the pan?

Gramática en este vídeo

Las estructuras que más usa el hablante, con las palabras exactas del vídeo:

Estructura	En el vídeo
Present perfect continuous have/has been + -ing — una acción que empezó antes y continúa	have been scrolling · have been lifting · have been creating
Present perfect have/has + participio pasado — una acción pasada que sigue importando ahora	I've saved · have kept · has been
Voz pasiva be + participio pasado — importa lo que ocurre, no quién lo hace	is called · is read · is actually called

Pronunciación a tener en cuenta

El hablante usa 30 contracciones y formas reducidas, como don't, you're, can't. Dilas en su forma corta, tal como las oyes.

Los sonidos de “sh” y “zh”: distraction /dɪsˈtɹæk.ʃən/, sabotage /ˈsæb.əˌtɑʒ/, stimulation /stɪm.jʊˈleɪ.ʃən/, progression /pɹəˈɡɹɛʃən/, notification /ˌnoʊtɪfɪˈkeɪʃn̩/
Palabras largas — cuida el acento: articulate /ɑːɹˈtɪk.jə.leɪt/, deliberately /dɪˈlɪb.(ə.)ɹət.li/, excessively /ɪkˈsɛsɪvli/, recalibrate /ˌɹiˈkæl.ə.bɹeɪt/, resilience /ɹɪˈzɪl.ɪ.əns/

Sonidos difíciles para hispanohablantes:

s + consonante al inicio — sin añadir una “e” delante: scroll /skɹoʊl/, scratch /skɹæt͡ʃ/, stabilize /ˈsteɪ.bəˌlaɪz/, spectator /spɛkˈteɪtə/, stimulation /stɪm.jʊˈleɪ.ʃən/
/v/ — no es /b/: los dientes tocan el labio inferior: evolve /ɪˈvɑlv/, cognitive /ˈkɑɡ.nɪ.tɪv/, compulsive /kəmˈpʌlsɪv/, excessively /ɪkˈsɛsɪvli/, avoidance /əˈvɔɪdəns/
/z/ — sonora, no /s/: resonate /ˈɹɛz.əˌneɪt/, stabilize /ˈsteɪ.bəˌlaɪz/, resilience /ɹɪˈzɪl.ɪ.əns/

Cómo practicar con este vídeo

Escucha el vídeo entero una vez sin hablar y anota las palabras que no conoces.
Empieza a velocidad 0,75×, haz shadowing frase por frase y vuelve a la velocidad normal cuando te resulte fácil.
Grábate y compara con el original, prestando atención a palabras como scroll, dopamine, boredom.

¿Qué es la Técnica de Shadowing?

Shadowing es una técnica de aprendizaje de idiomas respaldada por la ciencia, desarrollada originalmente para la formación de intérpretes profesionales y popularizada por el políglota Dr. Alexander Arguelles. El método es simple pero poderoso: escuchas audio en inglés nativo y lo repites en voz alta de inmediato, como una sombra que sigue al hablante con solo 1-2 segundos de retraso. A diferencia de la escucha pasiva o los ejercicios de gramática, el shadowing obliga a tu cerebro y músculos de la boca a procesar y reproducir simultáneamente patrones de habla reales. Las investigaciones muestran que mejora significativamente la precisión de la pronunciación, la entonación, el ritmo, el habla conectada, la comprensión auditiva y la fluidez al hablar, convirtiéndola en una de las metodologías más efectivas para la preparación del IELTS Speaking y la comunicación en inglés en el mundo real.

Técnica de shadowing: lee la guía completa paso a paso →

Shadowing Practice: I’m Begging You: Replace Scrolling With These Habits - Learn English Speaking with Video

15 Slow Dopamine Habits That Lowered My Baseline Stimulation

how to make every day SO fun you don’t even have time to scroll

12 Micro Habits That Will Improve Your Life in the Next 6 Months

Video

how to reset when you have no motivation (from a type a/b person)

How to Get Your Focus Back (Trust me, You’re Not Cooked).

How to Break a Social Media Addiction

The Hidden Habit That's Quietly Wasting Your Life

6 Tiny Habits That Train Your Brain to Feel Happier Every Day

How To Stay Motivated & Consistent Everyday | Mini Series Ep.4 | Life Of Sacha

How to write every single day (even if you have no ideas)

9 DAILY HEALTHY HABITS that Changed My Life