Shadowing Practice: 9 Habits That Are Destroying Your Confidence - Learn English Speaking with Video
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Hey Psych2Goers and welcome back to another video.
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If you're new here, welcome to Psych2Go.
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Confidence.
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Some people are born with an innate streak of confidence, whilst it takes a little time for others to develop confidence as they develop from children into adults.
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But there will be times when your confidence takes a knock, right?
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It's common to feel like you wish your confidence was better, While other things that are out of control may impact your confidence,
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such as other people, it's important to know which things you are in control of, and how you can prevent yourself from destroying your own confidence.
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So, here are nine habits that are destroying your confidence.
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Number one, you care too much about what other people think.
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How many times have you said to yourself, I don't care what other people think about me.
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Honestly, the tally isn't quite encouraging, is it?
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No. That's okay.
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It's common to care about what other people think, especially if we're trying to impress them.
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As human beings, you want to be liked and respected by others.
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However, when you value other people's thinking and opinion above your own, and change your behavior to reflect what you think others want to see, you're doing more harm than good for yourself.
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Number two, negative thinking.
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I'm not good enough.
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I can't do this.
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You've had one too many of those days, haven't you?
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Uh-huh.
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You become what you think.
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If you always think you're not good enough, then you'll never be confident.
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Do you have thoughts that you can never get that promotion even though you are qualified?
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That's negative thinking.
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Indulging in pessimism creates a self-fulfilling prophecy.
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Oh boy yeah you're gradually destroying your self-confidence with all of
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these thoughts reframing those negative thoughts to say i am good enough to get this job
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and i need to show my skills can reinforce a more
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positive mindset it's crucial to focus on what you can do instead of worrying about the outcomes
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that you can't control number three social media living do you compare your lifestyle with your friends on social media?
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Or how many times have you thought that your social media life is better than your own life?
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The pretty pictures people paint on social media, as we know, are not always as they appear to be.
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If you consistently find yourself comparing yourself to others
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and living in your own version of reality and only putting out what you want the world to see, then you may notice that this has an impact on your confidence in the real world.
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Once you start to understand
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that this is not what everyday lives are like then you
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should start to feel more grounded number four self-deprecating talk
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when you diminish what you do you're taking shots at your self-confidence
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if every time you speak in a personal or professional setting
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and you say that you're not that great you're diminishing your worth
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and value when you're constantly communicating that you're not
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that great it's bound to make you feel less than confident writer Senator C.S.
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Lewis once said, humility is not thinking less of yourself, but it's thinking of yourself less.
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So remember that and try not to confuse humility with self-deprecation.
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Number five, the blame game is your favorite sport.
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When you find yourself in a situation that you are not happy with, such as the job that you hate,
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do you tend to find excuses and blame everybody else or everything else for what is happening?
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This destroys your self-esteem and you feel less confident about being able to manage your situation.
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You'll need to develop an exit plan for your self-esteem.
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In his video, How to Beast explains this idea of blaming acts as a defense mechanism.
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So rather than pass the blame, taking ownership of your situation should jumpstart your confidence, fingers crossed.
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Number six, you set the bar low for yourself.
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When you disclaim, I'm not very good at this, so don't have any expectations, it immediately makes others question your ability.
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Disqualifying yourself verbally reassures you that others don't have high expectations from you and won't be disappointed.
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But by setting yourself at this level, naturally your confidence is going to be low, as is your sense of value.
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So when you put confidence on it, it instills confidence in others about you as well.
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Number seven, thinking that you don't have anything to say or contribute to a discussion.
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Why don't you tend to get involved in conversations at work or at social events?
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Is it because you don't believe that you have anything meaningful to add?
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Maybe.
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Well, this too is destroying your confidence, as you may feel like people will be bored of what you have to say
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or that they'll think that you're not smart.
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Yeah, or they'll make fun of me.
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This is a story that you've told yourself and you've started to believe that it's true.
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It may be that the topic of conversation is not something
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that you're particularly interested in or know a lot about
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but it should not be allowed to cost you your confidence
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okay number eight you dismiss compliments guilty as charged right yeah me too we often receive compliments by deflecting
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or shying away from accepting them because we're embarrassed or we don't believe the comment.
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By deflecting, we're not only selling ourselves short, but challenging the judgment of the person complimenting us.
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Accepting compliments graciously doesn't make you an egomaniac.
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We can accept compliments graciously and take them on board when developing our confidence.
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And number nine, ruminating.
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Ever find yourself repeatedly going over what you get right
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or situations you didn't like an example of this may be
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that you continuously think about something you said during a presentation to your work colleagues
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rumination is taking thinking to another dimension altogether even though thinking
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is considered necessary for problem solving ruminating is focused on the problem
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and not on finding the solution in her article for forbes jamie kaluga wrote
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that when you ruminate on your poor decisions
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or setbacks consistently even the most confident people can struggle at times
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and it's perfectly normal you are unique individuals with different skills
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so use them to your advantage using positive affirmations every day
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where possible can help to remind you of your strengths
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and what you want to develop do any of these describe your experience or did any of these points describe you
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if you have any comments or feedback regarding this video please leave them in the comment box below
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we love hearing back from our viewers and your feedback is
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so important for us when we're creating content at psych2go
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if you found this video helpful be sure to hit the like button
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and share it with those out there diminishing their confidence due
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to their own habits don't forget to subscribe to psych2go
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and hit the notification bell for more new videos as always thanks for watching see you next time
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How Confidence Habits Shape Real-Life Interactions
We’ve all been there: standing in a room, holding back from speaking up because we worry what others will think, or scrolling through social media and feeling our self-worth fade. The video explores nine habits that chip away at confidence, and these scenarios mirror the everyday moments where English learners often struggle to express themselves. Whether it’s avoiding a conversation due to negative self-talk or comparing your language skills to others online, these habits not only hurt confidence but also limit opportunities to practice speaking. Recognizing them is the first step to breaking free—and improving your English in the process.
Useful Chunks & Collocations to Build Fluency
- "takes a knock": When confidence "takes a knock," it means it’s temporarily damaged (e.g., "My confidence took a knock after I misspoke in the meeting").
- "self-fulfilling prophecy": A belief that makes itself true (e.g., "Thinking I’d fail the presentation became a self-fulfilling prophecy").
- "diminish your worth": To make yourself seem less valuable (e.g., "Self-deprecating jokes can diminish your worth in others’ eyes").
- "defense mechanism": A behavior that protects you from anxiety (e.g., Blaming others is a defense mechanism to avoid responsibility).
These phrases are common in both casual and professional English, making them essential for sounding natural. Practice saying them aloud to build muscle memory for real conversations.
Your Shadowing Challenge: Speak with Confidence
The shadowing technique is a powerful way to improve English pronunciation and fluency—and it can also boost confidence. Here’s your task: Watch a 1-minute clip from the video, then pause and repeat each sentence immediately after the speaker, mimicking their tone, speed, and stress. Focus on phrases like "You care too much about what other people think" or "Reframing those negative thoughts." By shadowing, you’ll train your mouth to form English sounds correctly and build the habit of speaking without overthinking. Do this daily for a week, and you’ll notice your pronunciation sharpens—and your confidence in speaking grows. Remember, shadowspeak isn’t just about copying; it’s about internalizing the rhythm of English so you can speak with ease.
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.