Shadowing Practice: 7 boring habits that actually improved how i feel - Learn English Speaking with Video
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264 sentences
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I think we overcomplicate how to actually feel good.
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We have 12 -step morning routines that are ultra -optimized.
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We take 10 different supplements, drink $8 wellness juices, but somehow we're still tired,
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overwhelmed, and constantly looking for the next thing that's going to fix us.
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Yes, I love trying new things.
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I love learning about ways to improve my life, but I've realized that sometimes the answer is not a modern trend or a product.
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The things that have actually made me feel the best are painfully boring and unsexy.
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I really believe that feeling good in your body and in your mind isn't about adding more or doing more.
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It's really about making things extremely simple, like stupidly simple.
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So these are the seven incredibly boring habits that have made the biggest difference in how I feel.
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Okay, this is going to sound so stupid, but one of the biggest habit changes
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that has made the biggest difference in how I feel is I eat before I'm starving.
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Let me explain.
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You're probably thinking, well, duh, Allison, you should eat when you're hungry.
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But for some reason, like I would always wait until the last second,
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like when I'm on the verge of collapsing to finally put something in my body.
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And I don't know why, but I think a lot of women operate this way.
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We just get like so busy.
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We have a million things to do and like food is like the last thing on our minds.
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But by the end of like our entire to -do list, we feel like we're going to pass out at any second.
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We literally procrastinate on eating, but it's wrecking your digestive system and cortisol.
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Yeah.
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Sometimes you're in situations where you don't have time to eat
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but starving on a daily basis is not normal
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and it's not healthy especially for women
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because most of you guys who watch me are women not eating for prolonged periods of time spikes your cortisol
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and it keeps your mood on a roller coaster all day
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and if you don't believe me you can ask my boyfriend
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or any of your boyfriends for
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that matter at the time whenever i would uber to the city to see him
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because that's where he lived
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and we would hang out here the uber ride would take at least an hour sometimes more
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and by the time might arrive it was already 3 p .m
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and I was gonna rip his head off
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but for some reason like I just didn't want to eat before
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it's like I wanted to wait until we work together to like have a meal
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but I would always get so carsick in those Ubers
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because I'm dehydrated and I'm starving
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and I would always be in a bad mood whenever I saw him
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and I just didn't like that pattern
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and with all the toxic skinny trends going around online for some reason it's become cool
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or chic to just not eat until you're on the verge of collapsing
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and this has so many negative effects on your body because when you are starving, you do not make good choices when it comes to food.
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At least for me, I just start craving all the bad stuff, like processed snacks, sugary foods, salty stuff.
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And then once I eat all of that, I feel so much worse after.
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So now I feel like I'm much more in tune with my body and I eat when I'm hungry.
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Not to the point where I'm constantly starving, and not only do I make better choices, but I only eat until I'm satisfied.
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When your body is not in a state of desperation you don't overeat regulating my eating times has been
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so good on my digestive system like i already had
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so many stomach issues before but starving on a daily basis only wrecked it even more
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and when i finally did eat it would almost like shock my stomach
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and it would hurt so again that's why i keep my meal times very consistent
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and yeah sometimes you're in situations where you don't have a lot of control like traveling
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if you have super busy days at work you have a ton of meetings
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but for me i just do my best to plan around this stuff fruit and healthy snacks are like my go -tos.
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Oh, and always eat before you go grocery shopping.
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Again, do not be in a state of desperation
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when you're buying all your food for the week
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because you're only going to buy the bad stuff because that's what you want in the moment.
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The other painfully boring habit that has drastically improved my life is having good air quality in my home.
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Like if it couldn't get any simpler, yes, I'm talking about literal air.
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But this is very important to me because I've had eczema my whole life.
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And during the winter, the skin on my hands literally feel like they're being ripped apart.
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The air is just so dry.
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My skin starts cracking and bleeding.
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I even feel it on my face and eyes, which is a very new thing for me, by the way.
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Like for some reason this year, my eyes started getting extremely dry, like to the point where I'm constantly putting in eye drops.
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Did you also know that dry air can physically dehydrate you and increase your chances of getting sick?
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I am very prone to getting headaches.
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So dehydration is my biggest op and dry air can also dry out your throat, which again can lead to sickness.
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So the colder months can be very miserable for me if I don't pay attention to the air in my home,
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which is why I keep multiple humidifiers in my house.
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And I love the ones by Dreo.
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If you know, you know, this is the best brand.
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I have one in my living room and I recently got another for my bedroom.
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For some reason, I always get a stuffy nose before I go to bed.
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But ever since having this in my room, I can breathe so much easier because the air isn't so dry.
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This one is so good because it has warm and cool mist options and the mist itself is ultra fine.
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This adds 550 milliliters of water to your room every hour which equals to almost an entire bottle of water.
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It's also so quiet so I'm able to sleep with it on
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and it has an 80 hour runtime so it lasts through multiple nights.
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I also love that I can control it from the app on my phone.
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That way I don't have to get it up to turn it on.
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I can just keep scrolling like I always do.
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You can also customize the lights to match whatever vibe you like.
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Speaking of air quality, Drea also has some amazing air purifiers that I also keep in my home.
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Apartments get so dusty for some reason.
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So that's why I love having this to make sure my air is clean and free from any pollutants.
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I clearly do not play about the air I breathe.
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I mean, it's like drinking water.
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It's not revolutionary or sexy, but it's one of the most essential things for your body.
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I want to talk about something that has been very relevant in this period of my life.
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And while it is very silent, it has probably made the biggest difference in how I feel mentally.
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And it's that I no longer rely on substances for my mood.
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I almost never drink alcohol.
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I don't do drugs.
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And I don't really drink that much caffeine besides matcha.
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But it wasn't always this way.
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Anyone who knew me in college, I was like a completely different person.
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Anything that was consumable, you best believe I was consuming it.
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Like, your girl did not say no to anything.
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But like, I don't regret anything because I felt like I just needed to get it out of my system.
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Not saying that you should do some of these things, but come on, the youth is gonna youth.
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And sometimes you need to try something to know you don't like it.
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For the majority of the time, I was partaking in these things because that's just what everyone else around me was doing.
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When it came to coffee, alcohol, going through a hoe phase, like, everyone has done it especially when it came to alcohol.
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Like I do not like the taste, but it was a social thing for me.
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Like I just wanted to feel included.
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But now I cannot fathom doing half the stuff I did.
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I actually hate feeling out of control and not like myself.
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Even something as simple as coffee.
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Like I do not drink it because I don't like the way it makes me feel.
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I get very jittery.
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My stomach starts hurting.
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And when it comes to drinking, I am more than happy to go out sober.
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Like I don't need a drink in my hand to feel cool or to have a good time.
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And if people ask me like why I'm not drinking.
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I just don't care.
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It's not a big deal.
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I think the media and pop culture has like glorified drinking as this like super cool, fun activity.
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But in reality, it tastes horrible.
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It makes you do and say weird stuff and you feel out of it the next day.
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Like why would anybody waste money or their body to do that?
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Again, I am not coming from a place of these things are bad and you shouldn't do them.
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Because like I said, I pretty much did everything under the sun.
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But I think I just realized that I really like feeling at my baseline.
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Like being in control, being in the right headspace.
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I just don't want my physical or mental state altered in any way.
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If I'm tired, I'll just relax instead of suppressing my body with caffeine.
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If I'm stressed, I actually want to deal with what's stressing me out rather than using something to escape the feeling.
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And if I'm going out, I don't need alcohol to make the night fun.
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Like, believe me, I am already crazy enough without alcohol.
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And I'll order a mocktail with no shame.
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It is just
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so important to let your body tell you what it needs instead of immediately trying to fix how you feel.
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And maybe this is controversial, but I almost feel this way about over -the -counter medicine.
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Yes, if you have a fever, take the Tylenol, take the Advil.
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But my mom, who was a pharmacist for over 20 years in the industry,
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heavily disagrees with Western medicine and kind of raised me with this holistic mindset to let your body do its thing.
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Over -the -counter stuff only shuts up your body's symptoms.
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It doesn't solve the problem.
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So if you're always popping pills every time you have a headache, this is a deeper issue you need to look at.
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You're probably dehydrated or waiting till the last second to eat something hint hint
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so ironically doing less has actually been the best thing for me
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it's made me more in tune with my own body
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and i just feel way more stable and consistent day to day like
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if you're healthy with a functioning body
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you really don't need to rely on anything is this a safe space right
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now can i tell you guys my hot take my hot take is i think calling is better than texting
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and i will die on that hill because let's be real no one remembers to text back.
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And by no one, I mean me.
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I am one of those people.
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I'm sorry, I will read your text, think about my response, and then forget to send it.
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Like, my typical response time for text is anywhere between 30 minutes to 24 hours.
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Sometimes I'll accidentally leave people on read for days.
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And it's not that I do it on purpose, but I'm busy, I've got other things going on.
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And I'm sure you do the same thing.
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It's not that we're trying to be mean, but this is kind of how we treat texting nowadays.
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And this is why I actually prefer when people call me or I call them.
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Because this way you or i will get an immediate response i just think it's common sense
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that if something is urgent let's call her facetime i think another reason i feel this way is
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because i just crave relationships that feel genuine and connected
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when we call our facetime i hear your voice i see your face i just feel closer to you
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and it also makes it impossible for tone to get lost one of my gripes with texting is
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that if we're having a serious conversation we cannot hear the tone of the other person.
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And if I text you something, I get so anxious that it's going to be read in the wrong way.
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But with calling, people's walls are down and it immediately removes the confusion.
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I just feel like talking face -to -face or voice -to -voice is the superior form of communication.
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Now, I get that some people in your life, or maybe you, don't have time to call which is why something
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that I do with my friends is sometimes I'll just send them a voice memo.
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Like you can record something on your phone and then send it to them.
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I also love this because I save so much time by speaking my words instead of having to type them.
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Plus the other person can like listen to it on their own time.
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My best friend and I do this on a regular basis
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and we call them our podcasts because we're sending like little voice snippets to each other and it's literally like a podcast.
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Like sometimes our voice memos are 20 minutes long, but it's fun because we can catch up with each other at different times.
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I feel like voice memos are kind of like delayed calls.
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And again, I just think it is so much more superior than texting.
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The whole point of what I've been saying is seeking simplicity.
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This is the mindset I live my life by that has totally changed the way I feel and look.
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We've accidentally turned basic life maintenance into a performance.
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Like everything is so performative and artificial now.
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Social media has given us every routine, every product, every hack.
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And suddenly we start thinking that everything in our life needs to be optimized
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but sometimes the most optimal thing is choosing the simplest version.
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You don't need 12 products in your skincare routine.
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Cleanser, moisturizer, SPF are just fine.
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You don't need 200 different tops for every occasion.
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Yes, you can be an outfit repeater with things that you actually love.
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You don't need to dye your hair the next trendiest hair color.
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Just pick one easy hairstyle that you can do daily.
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Also, your natural hair color is beautiful.
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We need to stop thinking that this new diet, pill, or workout routine is going to give us our dream body, but eating real food, sleeping,
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and moving every day will.
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Hanging out with our friends doesn't need to be making reservations or doing expensive activities.
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Hanging out can be movie nights, game nights, cooking together, or just sitting on the couch talking.
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I just want every area of my life to feel simple, which also means being okay with things not being perfect all the time.
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I know it's so tempting to see what other people have on social media and want that,
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but you have to remember that those people have completely different lives than you.
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Again, I love trying new things, new gadgets, new routines.
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But if it is not simple and will integrate seamlessly into my life, I will abandon it.
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And just having this mindset has saved me so much time, money, and effort from things that don't actually work.
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The sixth boring habit that I will stand on business for is writing everything down immediately.
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This has indirectly improved the way I feel because it reduces more opportunities for me to become stressed.
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If I make plans, schedule an appointment, agree to a deadline, book a trip, make a work commitment, I immediately put it in my calendar.
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Like I don't even trust myself to say, oh, I'll just do it when I get home.
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No, it's going into my phone.
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Because the second someone tells me, poof, it's gone.
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Like I have the memory of a goldfish.
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I never tell myself, oh, I'll remember because realistically I won't.
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And I've already been publicly embarrassed for being late to something or not showing up.
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It is so humiliating.
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It's like the closest thing to death for me.
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So even the things that feel too obvious to write down, like working out for example, I write them down anyway.
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And like even the small things like hanging out with friends, again, I write down.
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If there are other details for the event like the address, what I need to bring, what to wear, I write those down too.
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And I don't do this because oh I just love feeling organized.
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No, I do it for my own sanity.
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Keeping everything in one place has freed up my mind so I can focus on other things.
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I am never in a rush or worrying
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if I have somewhere to be because I already know about it and I've planned for it.
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So no, being organized doesn't mean you're naturally good at remembering stuff.
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It means creating systems so you don't have to remember everything.
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One of the most influential hacks that has truly altered my brain chemistry is filtering my language, especially the way I talk about myself,
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which is why I have made it a habit to only speak about my failures as experiences.
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A while ago, I made a video about the labels we assign to ourselves and to situations, and why this leads to negative feelings and resentment.
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Because the way you think dictates how you feel.
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So if you want to feel better and more confident, you need to change your thinking,
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which includes the word you say in your head and out loud.
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Anytime I talk to someone about what's going on in my life or a mistake I made,
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I always say 100 % how I feel about it.
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And then I reframe it in a positive or negative way.
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So as an example, I could say, oh, I didn't get the promotion and I'm really bummed about it.
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But you know, it could actually give me some more time to focus on my other side projects.
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Now, this doesn't mean pretending or forcing yourself to be optimistic.
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You can be upset that something didn't work out without turning it into proof that you're a failure.
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I truly believe there is always a positive learning outcome from every situation.
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It's all about how you frame it.
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The truth is we cannot change the past,
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but for some reason, every single move we make or thought is determined by what went wrong the last time.
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And this stops us from taking action or risks.
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But if you just reframe the past and stop labeling it as a failure, you will start to see that everything in this world is neutral.
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Your relationship that ended is an experience.
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The job you tried and quit is also an experience.
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The business idea you tried but didn't work is an experience.
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Moving somewhere and realizing you hate it is an experience as well.
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And putting yourself out there and getting rejected is an experience.
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I know sometimes it's embarrassing to talk about things that went wrong,
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but it is actually really healthy to reflect on how you feel and think about what you can do the next time.
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Life is truly all about the experiences.
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I mean, you could say that life is one big experience.
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So we should see everything that happens to us in the same way.
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As you can tell by now, the secret to feeling good is actually pretty boring.
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It's usually not the new supplement, the perfect morning routine, or some life -changing product you bought on TikTok.
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Most of the time, it's really simple things.
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Sometimes the biggest upgrade or life hack is actually just removing the noise and going back to the basics.
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If you liked this video, then let me know in the comments.
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I'd also love to know what your boring but life -changing habits are.
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I love learning from you guys and I feel like you help me more than I help you sometimes.
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And if you liked this video, then you would also really love this one.
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All right, that's all I got for you today.
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Thanks for watching and I'll see you in the next one.
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Bye.
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Thank you.
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This speaking lesson is built on the video “7 boring habits that actually improved how i feel”. This video has 264 sentences and 3529 words to shadow. The speech runs for 15:42. The speaker talks fast, about 225 words per minute, so expect linked and reduced sounds. 84% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English; the rest is worth studying before you start.
Key vocabulary in this video
15 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| routine noun | /ɹuˈtin/ | A course of action to be followed regularly; a standard procedure. |
| habit noun | /ˈhæb.ɪt/ | An action performed on a regular basis. |
| bore verb | /boɹ/ | To inspire boredom in somebody. |
| starve verb | /stɑɹv/ | To die because of lack of food or of not eating. |
| mood noun | /muːd/ | A mental or emotional state, composure. |
| stomach noun | /ˈstʌmək/ | An organ in animals that stores food in the process of digestion. |
| mindset noun | /ˈmaɪn(d)ˌsɛt/ | A way of thinking; an attitude or opinion, especially a habitual one. |
| memo noun | /ˈmɛməʊ̯/ | A short note; a memorandum. |
| tone noun | /ˈtəʊn/ | A specific pitch. |
| consistent adjective | /kənˈsɪs.tənt/ | Of a regularly occurring, dependable nature. |
| meal noun | /ˈmiːl/ | Food that is prepared and eaten, usually at a specific time, and usually in a comparatively large quantity. |
| superior adjective | /sʊˈpɪɹ.i.ɚ/ | Higher in rank, status, or quality. |
| hungry adjective | /ˈhʌŋ.ɡɹi/ | Affected by hunger; having the physical need for food. |
| label noun | /ˈleɪ.bəl/ | A small ticket or sign giving information about something to which it is attached or intended to be attached. |
| rely verb | /ɹɪˈlaɪ/ | To trust; to have confidence in; to depend. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| go out verb | To leave, especially a building. |
| write down verb | To produce or set (something) down in writing; to record something. |
| dry out verb | To cause moisture to be completely removed from; to make dry. |
| go around verb | To move or spread from person to person. |
| go back to verb | To stem from; to originate in. |
| go through verb | To travel from one end of something to the other. |
| head off verb | To begin moving away. |
| rip apart verb | To be destroyed due to the malevolent actions of others. |
Sentences worth repeating
Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:
- I mean, it's like drinking water.
- Sometimes I'll accidentally leave people on read for days.
- We've accidentally turned basic life maintenance into a performance.
- No, it's going into my phone.
- Because the second someone tells me, poof, it's gone.
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Conditional sentences if + clause, will/would + verb — a condition and its result | If I'm tired, I'll just · if it is not simple and will integrate |
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | I've realized · have actually made · have made |
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | being ripped · be read · be optimized |
| Relative clauses who / which + clause — extra information about a person or thing | guys who watch · eyes, which is · Anyone who knew |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 94 contractions and reduced forms, such as don't, I'm, you're. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “th” sounds: breathe /bɹiːð/, sixth /sɪksθ/, throat /ˈθɹoʊt/, fathom /ˈfæðəm/
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: desperation /ˌdɛspəˈɹeɪʃən/, rush /ɹʌʃ/, shock /ʃɔk/, promotion /pɹəˈmoʊʃn̩/, occasion /əˈkeɪ̯ʒən/
- Long words — get the stress right: superior /sʊˈpɪɹ.i.ɚ/, accidentally /ˌæk.sɪˈdɛnt(ə)li/, desperation /ˌdɛspəˈɹeɪʃən/, naturally /ˈnæt͡ʃ.(ə.)ɹə.li/, incredibly /ɪŋˈkɹɛdɪbli/
How to practise with this video
- Listen to the whole video once without speaking and note the words you do not know.
- Start at 0.75× speed, shadow it sentence by sentence, then go back to normal speed once it feels easy.
- Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like routine, habit, bore.
What is the Shadowing Technique?
Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.