Shadowing Practice: Doing Hard Things Rewires Your Brain | Mel Robbins #shorts - Learn English Speaking with Video
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That uncomfortable feeling that you feel when you are getting to that vigorous type of exercise, whether it's doing a run or it's,
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you know, doing some resistance training where you're really doing hard things, that uncomfortableness, there's also a neurochemical reaction going on in your brain.
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So we have an endogenous, that just means in our body, opioid system, okay?
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Opioids, we're usually thinking of, you know, maybe exogenous ones that people take to help with pain relief, right?
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Like morphine, for example.
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We make our own opioids, endorphins, right?
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Endorphins are something that we make.
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Those are the feel-good opioids that we make in our brain.
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You do make that with exercise, but you also make a type of opioid that makes you feel uncomfortable.
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It's called dynorphin.
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It's responsible for that uncomfortable feeling, that feeling that's like, oh, I want to stop.
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I can't do this.
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It's hard, right?
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Dynorphin is is that uncomfortable like neurochemical that's being produced
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and what that does is when your brain is making that
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and you don't give up you keep pushing past it it
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has this feedback loop in your brain where then your brain goes oh this is
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that bad now it's i don't want to call it bad
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it's the dysphoric feeling i better figure out a way to deal with
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that and adapt and make something good so that later
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when i have that uncomfortable dysphoric feeling i don't feel so uncomfortable
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And so what happens is your brain starts to make more of these receptors.
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Receptors are things that neurochemicals and neurotransmitters and things like that bind to to have an effect.
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So they make more of the receptors that bind endorphins.
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They're called mu opioid receptors and they become more sensitive to endorphins.
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This happens only when you're getting that uncomfortable dynorphin you know flooding your brain
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and so what happens is then later on
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when anything happens that's a little bit pleasant you're going to feel it better
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and for a longer period of time and so
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that just makes everything easier when you have that sensitive
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that sensitization to these endorphins
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which we are making all throughout the day little things like
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yo seeing your friends smile like all these little things they're making you make endorphins
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And it's just a matter of how powerful are you going to feel that endorphin.
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And so the uncomfortableness of the dynorphin is what is doing that.
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But you have to engage in the hard, uncomfortable thing that makes you feel that dysphoric feeling.
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That makes so much sense.
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So if you force yourself to do some form of exercise, even just for a minute, even for three minutes, even for 10 minutes,
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it paves the way for you to now really magnify all of the beautiful
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and wonderful and comfortable things that follow it because you got the discomfort out of the way.
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Why This Video Is Perfect for English Speaking Practice
This clip from Mel Robbins is ideal for learn English with YouTube because it blends conversational flow with clear, engaging explanations. The natural pauses, emphasis on key terms like "dynorphin" and "endorphins," and relatable examples (like exercise) make it easy to follow while challenging you to mimic real-world speech patterns. It’s short enough for focused practice but packed with vocabulary and structure to build fluency.
Breaking Down Natural English in the Dialogue
Let’s look at 3 phrases that sound authentic and why they work:
- "That uncomfortable feeling that you feel when you are getting to that vigorous type of exercise" – Uses repetition ("feeling that you feel") and casual phrasing ("getting to") to sound conversational, not scripted. This is how native speakers explain ideas in real time.
- "It's called dynorphin. It's responsible for that uncomfortable feeling, that feeling that's like, oh, I want to stop." – Short sentences and filler phrases ("that's like, oh") mimic natural speech. Native speakers often repeat "that feeling" to connect ideas, making it easier for listeners to follow.
- "So if you force yourself to do some form of exercise, even just for a minute, even for three minutes, even for 10 minutes" – The repetition of "even for" builds rhythm and emphasis, a common technique to stress a point. This structure is easy to shadow and helps with intonation.
A Simple Shadowing Routine for This Video
Use the shadowing technique to master the dialogue: 1. Watch the video once to understand the meaning. 2. Play 5-second clips, pause, and repeat aloud immediately (this is shadow speech). Focus on matching the tone and pace. 3. Record yourself and compare to the original. Note where your rhythm or pronunciation differs. 4. For extra practice, use a shadowing app or shadowing site to slow down the audio if needed. Repeat daily for 10 minutes, and you’ll notice your fluency and confidence improve as you internalize natural English patterns.
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.