Shadowing Practice: How to stop overthinking? - Learn English Speaking with Video

Kies een oefenmodus

Elke modus opent een volledig scherm oefenruimte.

188 zinnen
Als zinnen te kort of te lang zijn, klik op Bewerken om ze aan te passen.
1
Do you ever feel like you're overcomplicating every little detail in your life?
2
Are you tired of being an overthinker and watching it stall your progress?
3
Well, welcome to the club because I am exactly the same way.
4
Fun fact, it took me a couple of months to create this YouTube channel
5
and upload my first video because I was overthinking every little detail.
6
In this video, I'm going to talk about strategies and techniques that helped me to overcome this mindset.
7
How to stop overthinking.
8
So what's the difference between productive thinking and overthinking?
9
Where do we draw the line?
10
Productive thinking is goal -oriented.
11
It leads to clarity.
12
It's time -bounded.
13
You have time frame in which you have to make a decision.
14
It is flexible, meaning you adapt as you go.
15
It's empowering.
16
It doesn't drain you of energy and it motivates you.
17
Overthinking, on the other hand, drains energy, consists of looping thoughts,
18
it's unproductive, time -consuming, and it leads to avoidance and procrastination.
19
There is one crucial thing you have to understand about overthinking.
20
Overthinking does not equal problem solving.
21
If you think that you can solve all of your problems just by passively thinking about them, I hate to break it to you,
22
but it's not going to happen.
23
Problem solving is action -oriented.
24
It helps you to solve your problem and take action.
25
Overthinking, on the other hand, is quite passive and it's just rumination.
26
Overthinking rarely leads to any results.
27
Problem solving, on the other hand, is a powerful strategy that can help you to get out of this vicious cycle.
28
It's important to understand that distinction because a lot of people assume
29
that just by thinking about the problem for hours they will find a solution.
30
In reality, however, it's not how things work.
31
So what do we do about it?
32
How do we get out of this vicious cycle and beat overthinking once and for all?
33
Let's talk about some of the things that work for me.
34
Set boundaries when making decisions.
35
Overthinking is quite time -consuming.
36
The more you think about something, the more time you waste.
37
When I was about to create this YouTube channel, I wasted weeks and months thinking about the most unimportant things that you can possibly imagine.
38
When I look back on some of the things
39
that I was worried about just a couple of months ago i understand how pointless it was
40
and how much time i have wasted in the process
41
if i just started right then i would achieve much more
42
so as humans
43
when we make decisions we always try to find the best possible outcome we always try to make decisions
44
that will lead us to success but unfortunately right
45
and wrong decisions don't really exist because no matter what you do whether it's failing or whether it's being very successful,
46
you still get a very valuable thing.
47
You get experience and you get data.
48
And when you get that kind of information, you can later adapt to it.
49
You can find something valuable in the lessons.
50
What I'm really trying to say with this is that doing something and starting something is always better than doing nothing.
51
In a lot of cases, people waste time just by waiting, just by thinking, just by, you know, not doing anything but if they just started,
52
it would be much more productive and maybe they wouldn't miss so many opportunities.
53
Even if your decision was not good, at least you have the experience, at least you have that data and you can learn from it.
54
I know that as a society, we try to avoid failure at all costs.
55
We don't like the idea of failure, but failure is a better teacher than success.
56
That's why some people say fail faster because failure gives you so much data.
57
So the best thing you can do is to make a decision and then adapt to it.
58
Allocate a specific time frame to make a decision and then just step away.
59
And once the decision is made, you will have this feeling of completion and you won't have the need to return to it later.
60
Let's say you need to make a decision.
61
Just give yourself one week.
62
And once that one week is over, don't return to it.
63
Don't think about it anymore.
64
Just move on.
65
If the decision that you're making is more important, let's say it's something that will affect your life in a big way,
66
you can give yourself a couple of months.
67
But don't overcomplicate the process.
68
Don't give yourself too much time because ultimately it's going to be a waste.
69
And don't think that by collecting a lot of data and constantly researching something, you will make better decisions.
70
In a lot of cases, it just overcomplicates the process.
71
When you have too much information at hand, instead of being useful, sometimes it leads to analysis paralysis.
72
It's not about how much time you give to yourself.
73
It's about reaching a certain conclusion and then not returning to it.
74
By setting that kind of limitations, you will regain control over your mind and you will also get mental clarity.
75
Remember, thinking about something for a very long time doesn't lead to better decisions or better outcomes.
76
Calm your mind.
77
If your mind is racing and you don't know what to do about it,
78
the best thing you can do is to do something that calms your mind.
79
I know that we're all different and something that calms me down might not necessarily bring you a peace of mind.
80
But I'm going to share my personal favorites.
81
Things that I personally recommend would be stuff like meditation, journaling, or physical activity.
82
My number one solution for overthinking is journaling.
83
I love journaling so much.
84
I've been journaling since 2020 and I can't stop.
85
I believe that journaling is one of the most powerful techniques to stop your racing mind from overthinking.
86
So I know that there are a lot of techniques that you can use when it comes to journaling,
87
but my personal favorite would be brain dumping.
88
If you don't know what brain dumping means, it basically means writing everything down without filters.
89
It means writing every single thought you have in your mind and not thinking about it too much.
90
You don't need to reread it, you don't need to think about it deeply,
91
you just need to get everything out on paper and then forget about it.
92
These entries are just for you, no one will ever see them and they will help you to process your emotions and thoughts.
93
I personally feel extremely relieved once I dump all my thoughts into my journaling app.
94
It's generally my number one strategy when it comes to overthinking and it always helps me.
95
When it comes to brain dumping, if the problem you're dealing with is on a simpler side, then a couple of sessions might be enough.
96
But if you're dealing with something more serious that really bothers you, you might need more time.
97
What I tend to do is I try to reach the end of thought.
98
I write about the problem so many times that by the end of the session, I feel bored of it.
99
I feel tired of talking about it.
100
The funny thing is that once you talk about the problem too many times, once you write everything you know about it,
101
it will get boring and tiring to talk about it again and your thoughts will disappear on their own.
102
Once you bore all of those thoughts on paper, it almost feels like your brain doesn't need to process them anymore
103
and you will get the peace of mind that you deserve.
104
Let me know in the comment section
105
if you're interested in the topic of journaling because over the years I've accumulated a lot of techniques that I can share.
106
Another thing that I recommend when you're going down the overthinking spiral is physical activity.
107
However, when I'm talking about physical activity, I'm not talking about excessive workout.
108
I'm not talking about cardio.
109
I'm talking about something slower, something calmer, something like yoga.
110
Moving your body around can help you to get out of your head.
111
Yoga is great, but you can also try just going out and taking a 30 -minute walk.
112
I feel like walking outside
113
or spending more time in nature always helps me to get out of my head and calm my mind.
114
An important side note, if you're going outside to take a walk, please don't take your headphones with you.
115
Just listen to your environment and don't distract yourself with content.
116
Last but not least, meditation is a brilliant way to get rid of your repetitive thoughts.
117
I'm not going to talk about why meditation is useful and good for you, because you probably already know that meditation has a lot of benefits,
118
both for your physical and mental health.
119
I've been meditating on and off for years.
120
And I can definitely say that if you're consistent, meditation is very beneficial.
121
Despite struggling with consistency when it comes to meditation, when I do it regularly, I can almost tell that I'm more aware of my thoughts.
122
And to some degree, being aware of your thoughts almost solves half of the problem when it comes to overthinking.
123
So if you have never tried meditation, I think you should definitely try it because it helps a lot.
124
Productive distractions.
125
Sometimes the best way to end the vicious cycle of overthinking is to distract yourself with something.
126
But I'm not talking about distractions like scrolling on TikTok or Instagram.
127
I'm not talking about binge watching Netflix.
128
I'm talking about productive distractions that feel meaningful and also bring you joy.
129
The reason why I don't recommend watching Netflix
130
and drown yourself in cheap entertainment is because I don't want you to escape from your thoughts.
131
I want you to just distract yourself with something more productive.
132
Because when I distract myself with cheap dopamine, like TikTok or Instagram, I tend to feel really bad afterwards.
133
Yes, things like Netflix or TikTok, they are distractions as well.
134
But they are more like escaping from yourself, escaping from your mind.
135
I think your distractions should be productive and meaningful.
136
And I'm not talking about productive in terms of checking boxes off.
137
I'm not talking about that kind of productivity.
138
I mean that it has to feel meaningful and it has to bring you some kind of joy.
139
You know, it's something that you do and then you feel really good afterwards.
140
Maybe it's socializing with your friends, maybe it's spending time with your family, maybe it's watching your favorite movie.
141
One of the most important things that I can suggest is to not silence your thoughts and escape from them.
142
by indulging in cheap dopamine.
143
It's better to process your negative emotions and feelings sooner than later.
144
By drowning yourself in dopaminergic activities, you will only prolong your misery.
145
It's okay to do something else to distract yourself from overthinking, but it's not okay to use escapism to do that.
146
I think picking up a hobby and doing something
147
that you used to enjoy in the past is one of the best solutions to overthinking.
148
Maybe you can do something that you really like to do as a kid.
149
Maybe you can draw, maybe you can paint.
150
If you like cooking, you can try that.
151
You should do something that really brings you joy.
152
I'm pretty sure that would be a lovely experience.
153
Just do something that will pull you out of this overthinking cycle.
154
Sometimes the best solution to your problem might be to distract yourself and to do something else instead of fixating on it.
155
Our brain always process information in the background.
156
So even if you think that when you do something else nothing happens,
157
maybe your brain is working on the solution and it will come to you pretty soon.
158
Because I'm pretty sure you had those moments in your life when solutions came to you at the most unexpected times.
159
By productively distracting yourself, at least you're doing something that you enjoy instead of wasting time on overthinking.
160
Just do it mindset.
161
If nothing works, sometimes the only solution is to just do the thing.
162
I know that this quote is very cliche and a lot of people use it, I would say even overuse it,
163
but it's so commonly used because it works.
164
Sometimes ignoring the thoughts and just doing the things is the best solution.
165
As I previously mentioned, taking any step is better than doing nothing.
166
It's better than to stay static.
167
When I was overthinking everything about this channel, at some point I got really tired and I just decided that I'm gonna start no matter what.
168
Even if it's not perfect, even if I understand certain things, I will just start making and uploading videos.
169
I think a lot of people wait for this magical moment
170
when they will have all the answers and all of their problems will be solved.
171
However, it rarely happens.
172
Chances are that if you're an overthinker, you're also a perfectionist.
173
And waiting for the perfect moment might seem like a logical solution, but unfortunately it's not.
174
It's better to start right now, even if what you're doing is far from perfect, but at least you're not wasting your time.
175
In fact, now that I'm making my fifth YouTube video, I can see that most of the things that I was worried about were quite irrelevant.
176
My experience as a content creator was the reason why I had so many questions, but most of these problems were solved in the process.
177
Don't waste your precious time worrying about something that's not even important.
178
Please remember that watching YouTube videos will not change your life
179
and in order to change it you have to implement the steps that I'm talking about.
180
So let's revise some of the actionable steps you can take.
181
Recognize that problem -solving and overthinking are not the same things.
182
Set timeframes when making decisions.
183
Distract yourself with meaningful activities such as hobbies.
184
Just do it because overthinking is pointless unless you take action.
185
I hope this video was helpful.
186
Thank you so much for subscribing, liking and commenting.
187
I really appreciate your support.
188
I will see you in the next one.

App downloaden

Alles wat je nodig hebt om vloeiend te spreken

AI UitspraakScoor elke zin
IPA OefeningBeheers elk geluid
WoordenschatBouw je woordenschat op
WoordenspelLeren terwijl je speelt

Zelfde Kanaal

FOR YOU

Aanbevolen Video

Woordenschat en spreektips bij deze les

Deze spreekles is gebaseerd op de video “How to stop overthinking?”. Deze video bevat 13 zinnen en 2430 woorden om na te spreken. Het gesproken deel duurt 13:13. De spreker praat snel, ongeveer 184 woorden per minuut, dus reken op verbonden en ingeslikte klanken. 85% van de woorden hoort bij de 3.000 meest gebruikte Engelse woorden; de rest kun je beter vooraf bekijken. 4 van de 13 zinnen zijn vragen, dus het is goede oefening voor vraagintonatie en korte antwoorden.

Belangrijke woorden in deze video

15 woorden uit de video die het leren waard zijn, met uitspraak en betekenis:

WoordUitspraakBetekenis
solve werkwoord/sɒlv/oplossen
distract werkwoord/dɪˈstɹækt/afleiden
productive bijvoeglijk naamwoord/pɹəˈdʌk.tɪv/productief
meditation zelfstandig naamwoord/mɛdɪˈteɪʃn̩/meditatie, overpeinzing
distraction zelfstandig naamwoord/dɪsˈtɹæk.ʃən/afleiding
technique zelfstandig naamwoord/tɛkˈniːk/techniek
meaningful bijvoeglijk naamwoord/ˈmiː.nɪŋ.fl̩/zinvol
dump werkwoord/dʌmp/dumpen
adapt werkwoord/əˈdæpt/aanpassen
afterwards bijwoord/ˈæf.tɚ.wɚdz/nadien, achteraf
rarely bijwoord/ˈɹɛəɹli/zelden
yoga zelfstandig naamwoord/ˈjoʊ.ɡə/yoga
emotion zelfstandig naamwoord/ɪˈməʊ.ʃən/emotie
drain zelfstandig naamwoord/dɹiːn/afvoer
upload werkwoord/ˈʌpˌloʊd/uploaden

Phrasal verbs die je zult horen

WoordBetekenis
go down werkwoordafdalen
go out werkwoordnaar buiten gaan
pick up werkwoordoppakken, optillen

Grammatica in deze video

De structuren die de spreker het meest gebruikt, met de exacte woorden uit de video:

StructuurIn de video
Present perfect continuous have/has been + -ing — iets dat eerder begon en nog bezig isI've been journaling · I've been meditating
Voorwaardelijke zinnen if + zin, will/would + werkwoord — een voorwaarde en het gevolgif I understand certain things, I will just
Present perfect have/has + voltooid deelwoord — iets uit het verleden dat nu nog telthave wasted · I've accumulated · have never tried
Lijdende vorm be + voltooid deelwoord — het gaat om wat er gebeurt, niet om wie het doetis made · will be solved · were solved

Uitspraak om op te letten

De spreker gebruikt 59 samentrekkingen en verkorte vormen, zoals I'm, don't, you're. Spreek ze kort uit, zoals je ze hoort.

  • De klanken “sh” en “zh”: meditation /mɛdɪˈteɪʃn̩/, distraction /dɪsˈtɹæk.ʃən/, vicious /ˈvɪʃəs/, emotion /ɪˈməʊ.ʃən/, conclusion /kənˈkluːʒən/
  • Lange woorden — let op de klemtoon: necessarily /ˌnɛs.əˈsɛɹ.ə.li/, unexpected /ʌnɪkˈspɛktɪd/, productivity /ˌpɹɒdʌkˈtɪvəti/, beneficial /ˌbɛn.ɪˈfɪʃ.əl/, consistency /kənˈsɪs.tən.si/

Klanken die Nederlandstaligen lastig vinden:

  • Stemhebbende eindmedeklinker — /b/, /d/, /g/, /z/, /v/ niet verscherpen: solve /sɒlv/, productive /pɹəˈdʌk.tɪv/, afterwards /ˈæf.tɚ.wɚdz/, upload /ˈʌpˌloʊd/, bound /ˈbaʊ̯nd/
  • /æ/ — opener dan de Nederlandse “e”: distract /dɪˈstɹækt/, distraction /dɪsˈtɹæk.ʃən/, adapt /əˈdæpt/, afterwards /ˈæf.tɚ.wɚdz/, clarity /ˈklæɹ.ɪ.ti/
  • /g/ — een harde plofklank, geen Nederlandse “g”: yoga /ˈjoʊ.ɡə/, ignore /ɪɡˈnɔː/, regain /ɹiːˈɡeɪn/, wenge /ˈwɛnɡeɪ/

Zo oefen je met deze video

  1. Luister de hele video één keer zonder te spreken en noteer de woorden die je niet kent.
  2. Begin op 0,75× snelheid, spreek zin voor zin na en ga terug naar normale snelheid zodra het makkelijk gaat.
  3. Neem jezelf op en vergelijk met het origineel; let daarbij op woorden als solve, distract, productive.

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.

Shadowing-techniek: lees de volledige stap-voor-stap-gids →