Shadowing Practice: How To Be Alone | 4 Healthy Ways - Learn English Speaking with Video
Les maken...
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He who sits alone, sleeps alone, and walks alone, who is strenuous and subdues himself alone,
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will find delight in the solitude of the forest.
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The Buddha Some people avoid solitude like the plague.
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Others love being alone and thrive best in solitude
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when they are far away from the endless chatter of their fellow human beings.
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Unfortunately, in the individualistic Western society, loneliness is one of the most common reasons for misery, like mental illness and addiction.
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So I think it's very important that people know how to spend their time alone, in a healthy way, and not seeing it as a punishment,
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but rather as an opportunity to grow as a person.
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Hence, I present you four healthy ways to be alone.
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Being alone comes in many forms.
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We have extreme cases like hermits that spend most of their lives without socializing.
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And we have those more moderate solitude seekers that spend time by themselves for specific reasons like meditation,
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reflection, or achieving certain goals.
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On the other hand, there are cases in which loneliness becomes a vessel for mental and physical problems, and even death.
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The term lone wolf has quite a negative charge in society
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because it is used to describe people whose solitude was a breeding ground for hate that has led to violence.
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So regardless of the fact that loneliness is chosen or not, it's how we spend that time that decides the outcome.
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The ways I present in this video are practical as well as philosophical, and I hope you'll find some value in them.
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1. Be your own best host.
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This is a practical one.
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When you spend time alone at home, imagine that you're a guest in your own house.
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How would you treat a guest?
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How would you talk to a guest?
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When we are mean to our guests, they will probably don't like being around us.
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Thus, when we are mean to ourselves, it's not surprising that we don't like being around ourselves either.
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If you're lonely when you're alone, you're in bad company, said French philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre.
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And I think he's absolutely right.
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Now, we can apply this self-hospitality in many ways.
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way we talk to ourselves, and also if we cook ourselves a nice meal with the same love as we would do for others.
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Or if we don't allow ourselves anything better than a nasty microwave dinner.
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Also, the preparation of giving ourselves a good time in solitude means taking care of our ego extensions.
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Psychiatrist Carl Jung argued that we become so entangled with our direct environment that it becomes part of ourselves.
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Thus, taking care of ourselves means taking care of our environment.
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Spending time alone in a tidy house has a better impact on our mood than spending time alone in a mess.
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Moreover, the act of cleaning has a meditative effect on the mind.
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So preparing ourselves for some me-time by tidying the house is already a great start.
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2. Realize that we are always connected.
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Yeah, I know this sounds a bit contradictory, but most people feel lonely when they are physically alone.
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On a Saturday night, while other people are outside partying and drinking for example.
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When a dreadful fear of missing out kicks in, this sense of being separated from all this fun, joy, and pleasure can really make people suffer.
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As a means to cope, people indulge themselves in unhealthy pleasures like drinking,
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drugs, or binge-watching porn just to numb the pain of loneliness.
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In a lecture, Chinese Buddhist monk
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and scholar Sheng Yen told about his experience in solitude and that he didn't feel lonely at all.
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I quote, When I was in solitary retreat, I knew that I was together with all sentient beings in innumerable worlds.
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Even though I seemed to be alone in a small enclosed room, actually I was in company with many ants who found their way inside.
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And there were many insects around the hut who created all kinds of sounds in the evening." End quote.
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Loneliness is just a perception.
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We can perceive loneliness as something bad and horrible.
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And we can perceive a certain situation as lonely even though we aren't alone.
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As Stoic philosopher Epictetus stated, and I quote, Men are disturbed not by things, but by the principles and notions which they form concerning things.
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End quote.
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So, this is why some people feel lonely in groups, while others feel connected when they are alone.
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In reality, everything in this world is connected.
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We are all part of one big universe, and we are all made of the same stuff.
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Here on Earth, we come from the same soil, breathe the same air, and drink the same water.
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If we realize this, how can we possibly be lonely?
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3. Sit with it.
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Being around people all the time is a great way to avoid what's actually going on in ourselves.
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People that need to be around others all the time, that do spend time alone at some point, Do everything to avoid that self-confrontation,
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and suppress the experience of their inner lives with short-term pleasure.
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This is unfortunate because being alone is an excellent opportunity for introspection.
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By going inwards, we might find out what's bothering us, what we want to change, etc. These are difficult things to contemplate sometimes,
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but doing it can help us tremendously in the long run.
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So, the practice of meditation means that we observe our thoughts and physical sensations.
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This means that we can learn what's actually happening inside us, in a way that we normally don't.
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If we become aware of certain anxieties, anger, tension, tiredness, and so on, and accept them, they will eventually dissolve.
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Again, this can be experienced as discomfort,
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but it's a much healthier way to get into a calmer state than self-medicating with drugs or alcohol.
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4. Chase your dreams.
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Being around people all the time can be a lot of fun, but it also gravitates us to do as they do.
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Like watching the same television shows, talking about the same subjects, and having the same opinions.
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It's the herd mentality, which could be detrimental to achieving your goals and dreams.
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Spending time away from the herd can not only give us new perspectives by introspection, it also creates the opportunity to actually do what we want to do,
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regardless of what other people think.
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All achievements come with sacrifice.
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So, that's why it makes perfect sense to sacrifice parties, drunk nights at the bar, or dinners with friends in order to build something for ourselves.
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Solitude can be a great vessel for this.
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When you're creating something in solitude, you will begin to embrace your time alone, and you'll less likely develop unhealthy addictions.
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You simply don't have time for that.
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When I'm writing a script or editing a video for this channel, for example, I often find myself in a state of joy,
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which I could best describe as a state in which nothing is missing, everything is there, now in the present moment.
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It's the opposite of addiction.
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It's highly fulfilling, and working on something I love is enjoyable.
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In this state, it's quite difficult to feel lonely.
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So that's it.
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Thank you for watching.
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Woordenschat en spreektips bij deze les
Deze spreekles op niveau B2 is gebaseerd op de video “How To Be Alone”. Deze woorden komen het vaakst terug: alone, ourselves, solitude, lonely, loneliness. Deze video bevat 87 zinnen en 1218 woorden om na te spreken. Het gesproken deel duurt 7:51. De spreker praat in een natuurlijk tempo van ongeveer 155 woorden per minuut, dicht bij een alledaags gesprek. 82% van de woorden hoort bij de 3.000 meest gebruikte Engelse woorden; de rest kun je beter vooraf bekijken.
Belangrijke woorden in deze video
De 15 moeilijkste woorden uit de video, met uitspraak en betekenis:
| Woord | Uitspraak | Betekenis |
|---|---|---|
| solitude zelfstandig naamwoord | /ˈsɑlɪˌtud/ | eenzaamheid |
| loneliness zelfstandig naamwoord | /ˈloʊnlinəs/ | eenzaamheid |
| addiction zelfstandig naamwoord | /əˈdɪkˌʃən/ | verslaving, verslaafdheid |
| introspection zelfstandig naamwoord | /ɪntɹəˈspɛkʃən/ | introspectie, zelfonderzoek |
| tidy bijvoeglijk naamwoord | /ˈtaɪ.di/ | net, proper |
| unhealthy bijvoeglijk naamwoord | /ʌnˈhɛl.θi/ | ongezond |
| philosopher zelfstandig naamwoord | /fəˈlɑsəfɚ/ | filosoof, filosofe |
| perceive werkwoord | /pɚˈsiv/ | waarnemen |
| meditation zelfstandig naamwoord | /mɛdɪˈteɪʃn̩/ | meditatie, overpeinzing |
| chatter werkwoord | /ˈt͡ʃætɚ/ | babbelen, kletsen |
| contemplate werkwoord | /ˈkɑn.təmˌpleɪt/ | beschouwen, contempleren |
| contradictory bijvoeglijk naamwoord | /ˌkɑntɹəˈdɪktəɹi/ | tegenstrijdig, contradictoir |
| dissolve werkwoord | /dɪˈzɑlv/ | ontbinden, oplossen |
| enclose werkwoord | /ɪnˈkloʊz/ | omheinen |
| entangle werkwoord | /ɪnˈtæŋ.ɡəl/ | verwarren, verknopen |
Phrasal verbs die je zult horen
| Woord | Betekenis |
|---|---|
| find out werkwoord | ontdekken, onderzoeken |
Zinnen om te herhalen
Korte, volledige zinnen uit de video die je in alledaagse gesprekken kunt gebruiken:
- How would you treat a guest?
- How would you talk to a guest?
- If we realize this, how can we possibly be lonely?
- You simply don't have time for that.
Uitspraak om op te letten
De spreker gebruikt 15 samentrekkingen en verkorte vormen, zoals don't, you're, you'll. Spreek ze kort uit, zoals je ze hoort.
- De “th”-klanken: unhealthy /ʌnˈhɛl.θi/, thrive /θɹajv/
- De klanken “sh” en “zh”: addiction /əˈdɪkˌʃən/, introspection /ɪntɹəˈspɛkʃən/, meditation /mɛdɪˈteɪʃn̩/, sentient /ˈsɛn.ʃi.ənt/, socialize /ˈsoʊʃəlaɪz/
- Lange woorden — let op de klemtoon: introspection /ɪntɹəˈspɛkʃən/, philosopher /fəˈlɑsəfɚ/, contradictory /ˌkɑntɹəˈdɪktəɹi/, individualistic /ˌɪn.dɪˌvɪ.dʒu.əˈlɪ.stɪk/, innumerable /ɪˈnuːməɹ.əbəl/
Klanken die Nederlandstaligen lastig vinden:
- Stemhebbende eindmedeklinker — /b/, /d/, /g/, /z/, /v/ niet verscherpen: solitude /ˈsɑlɪˌtud/, perceive /pɚˈsiv/, dissolve /dɪˈzɑlv/, enclose /ɪnˈkloʊz/, meditative /ˈmɛdɪˌteɪtɪv/
- /æ/ — opener dan de Nederlandse “e”: chatter /ˈt͡ʃætɚ/, entangle /ɪnˈtæŋ.ɡəl/, gravitate /ˈɡɹævɪteɪt/, mentality /mɛnˈtæləti/, ant /ænt/
- /g/ — een harde plofklank, geen Nederlandse “g”: entangle /ɪnˈtæŋ.ɡəl/, gravitate /ˈɡɹævɪteɪt/, plague /plɛɡ/
Zo oefen je met deze video
- Luister de hele video één keer zonder te spreken en noteer de woorden die je niet kent.
- Begin op 0,75× snelheid, spreek zin voor zin na en ga terug naar normale snelheid zodra het makkelijk gaat.
- Neem jezelf op en vergelijk met het origineel; let daarbij op woorden als solitude, loneliness, addiction.
Wat is de Shadowing-techniek?
Shadowing is een wetenschappelijk onderbouwde taalleermethode die oorspronkelijk is ontwikkeld voor professionele tolkentraining en gepopulariseerd door polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. De methode is eenvoudig maar krachtig: je luistert naar native Engelse audio en herhaalt het onmiddellijk hardop — als een schaduw die de spreker volgt met slechts 1–2 seconden vertraging. In tegenstelling tot passief luisteren of grammaticadrills, dwingt shadowing je hersenen en mondspieren om echte spraakpatronen tegelijkertijd te verwerken en te reproduceren. Onderzoek toont aan dat het de uitspraaknauwkeurigheid, intonatie, ritme, verbonden spraak, luisterbegrip en spreekvaardigheid aanzienlijk verbetert — waardoor het een van de meest effectieve methoden is voor IELTS Speaking-voorbereiding en echte Engelse communicatie.