Shadowing Practice: Doomscrolling – Why Do We Love Bad News Before Bed? | Easy English Conversation for Beginners | 02 - Learn English Speaking with YouTube
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Do you go to bed,
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Do you go to bed,
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but then pick up your phone and read the news for one more hour?
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Or do you read terrible stories that make you feel very nervous and scared?
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Welcome back to Everyday English Talk.
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I'm Ben.
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And I'm Anna.
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Hello everyone.
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Today we are talking about a very interesting health topic.
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It is a big question for many people.
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Exactly.
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We are looking at a very common bad habit.
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Why do we love reading bad news before bed?
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I do this every single night.
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It makes me tired, but I just cannot stop.
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Are you a bad news reader too, Ben?
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Oh, I fall into that trap sometimes.
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Let's get into it.
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So, let's talk about the problem first Every night,
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I turn off the light and get ready to sleep But then,
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I pick up my phone and open the news What do you usually read on your phone at night, Anna?
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That is the strange part I do not watch funny videos I read about terrible accidents,
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money problems in the world,
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or very scary events These stories make me feel very nervous To feel nervous means you feel worried,
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a little scared, and you cannot relax.
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Your heart beats fast.
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But you still keep reading more bad news, right?
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Exactly.
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I know it is bad for me, but I cannot stop.
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I keep scrolling and scrolling.
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This modern bad habit has a special name.
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It is called doom scrolling.
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Doom means very bad things happening.
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Scrolling means moving your finger up and down your phone screen to read more.
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So, doom scrolling means you cannot stop reading bad news on your phone,
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even when it makes you feel terrible.
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That word describes my life perfectly.
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And the next morning is awful.
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Because my brain was full of bad thoughts all night,
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I cannot sleep well.
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I wake up feeling tired and angry.
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This is a very big problem for many people today.
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But there is a wrong idea that many people believe about this habit.
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What is the wrong idea?
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People think, I need to read the news.
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I want to know what is happening in the world.
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If I know about bad things,
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I can protect myself and my family.
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They think it is a responsible and smart thing to do.
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Yes, I feel exactly that way.
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I feel like a good and smart person because I am reading the news.
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I completely understand.
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It feels important.
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But reading scary stories at 11pm does not help you protect anyone.
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It only makes your brain stressed and breaks your sleep.
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To be stressed means to feel a lot of worry and pressure,
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like a rubber band that is pulled too tight exactly
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and there is a second problem making things worse the bright white light from your phone screen oh yes
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that light is terrible for sleep too it tells my brain hey it is still daytime stay awake
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so we have two problems together.
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The bad news makes you nervous and stressed.
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The bright screen light tricks your brain into thinking it is not bedtime.
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Two problems at once.
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No wonder I cannot sleep.
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Why does our brain love bad news so much?
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Let's find out the truth.
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Welcome back, everyone.
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Let's look at the facts.
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First, why does your brain love bad news?
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Is something wrong with you?
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I really hope not.
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Please explain this to me, Ben.
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You are completely normal.
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Your brain is just doing what it was built to do.
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To understand this, let's go back in time.
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Think about people who lived a very, very long time ago.
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Maybe 10,000 years ago.
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Okay, I can imagine it.
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They lived in forests and fields.
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They hunted animals for food every day.
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Right.
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And life was extremely dangerous.
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Every day, they had to watch out for wild animals,
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poisonous snakes, and bad weather.
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Here is the key.
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If they ignored a pretty flower, nothing bad happened.
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But if they ignored a hidden tiger in the grass, they would die.
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Oh.
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So their brain learned to always watch for danger first.
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Exactly.
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Because of this, the human brain has one powerful rule.
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Pay attention to danger.
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This is our natural warning system.
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Warning system.
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I love that phrase.
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A warning system is something that tells you about danger before it is too late,
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like a fire alarm in a building.
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Perfect example.
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Your brain is your personal warning system.
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If someone says, look at that beautiful bird, you smile.
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But if someone says, look at that tiger,
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your body reacts in one second.
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You run.
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Your brain focuses completely on the danger to keep you alive.
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So, when I read a scary news story on my phone,
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my brain thinks it is a real tiger in my bedroom.
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It turns on the warning system and keeps me wide awake.
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Exactly.
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Your brain is trying to protect you.
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But the problem is, the danger in the news story is not in your room.
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It is far away.
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You are completely safe in your bed.
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Your brain's warning system is reacting to something that cannot hurt you.
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My poor old brain cannot tell the difference between a real tiger and a story on a small screen.
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It activates the warning system for everything now here is fact number two phone companies
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and news apps know exactly how your brain works they use
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it against you they use it against me how these apps
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want you to stay on your phone for as long as
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possible the longer you stay the more money they make so they use scary headlines and shocking pictures
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They know your brain's warning system cannot ignore danger.
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So they put the scariest story first to catch my attention.
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Yes.
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And there is a smart computer system inside every app.
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It is called a smart system.
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This smart system watches everything you click on.
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When you click on one sad story,
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it immediately shows you 10 more sad stories.
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It is a circle.
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I click on one bad story.
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The smart system shows me more.
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I click again.
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And I cannot escape.
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Exactly.
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They are using your natural warning system to trap you.
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But now, you understand the trap.
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So you can escape it.
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Let's talk about solutions.
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Yes, please.
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I want to sleep well again.
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What can I do?
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Solution number one is very simple.
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Log off from all apps one hour before bed.
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To log off means to sign out and close all your apps, right?
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Like pressing the off switch for your online life.
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Exactly.
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At 10 o'clock, you log off from everything.
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No more news, no more social media.
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The phone is closed for the night.
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But if I just sit on my bed with nothing to do,
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I will pick up the phone again in two minutes.
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That is why solution number two is so important.
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You need a bedtime routine.
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A bedtime routine.
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That means you do the same calming activities every night before sleep,
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in the same order.
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Yes.
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For example, at 10 o'clock,
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you log off from your phone.
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Then you make a cup of warm tea.
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Then you read five pages of a paper book.
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Then you do some slow, deep breathing.
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You do this every single night.
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After a few weeks, my brain will learn.
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Okay, she is making tea.
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That means sleep is coming.
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Time to relax.
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My brain will automatically calm down.
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To calm down means to become less worried and more relaxed and peaceful.
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Your bedtime routine is a signal to your brain to calm down and prepare for sleep.
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I love that.
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The routine trains my brain.
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But Ben, I still have one more problem.
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Even with a routine, my phone is sitting right next to my bed.
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When the light is off and I am bored,
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my hand will just grab it automatically.
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That is the most common problem.
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And it is why you need solution number three.
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Move your phone out of the bedroom completely.
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But I use my phone as my alarm clock in the morning.
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The simple answer.
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Buy a cheap, old-fashioned alarm clock.
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Put it next to your bed.
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Charge your phone in the kitchen or the living room overnight.
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If my phone is in the kitchen,
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I need to get out of my warm bed and walk across the dark apartment just to read some bad news.
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That is way too much effort.
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Exactly.
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When you make the bad habit difficult and inconvenient,
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you will naturally choose to just close your eyes instead.
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And here is the best part.
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The news will still be there tomorrow morning when you are awake,
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rested, and ready to read it calmly.
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Out of sight, out of mind.
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If the phone is not next to me,
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I will forget about it and sleep.
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So, let's quickly recap today's episode.
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Reading bad news on your phone before bed is called doomscrolling.
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It activates your brain's natural warning system,
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makes you feel nervous and stressed,
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and completely breaks your sleep.
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Exactly.
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To sleep better, log off from your apps one hour before bed,
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build a calming bedtime routine,
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and move your phone out of your bedroom.
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Now, let's review five important words from today's talk.
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Ben, what is number one?
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Number one is doom scrolling.
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This is the bad habit of scrolling through a lot of sad and scary news on your phone for a long time,
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especially right before you sleep.
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Number two is nervous.
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This means feeling worried, a little scared, and unable to relax.
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Reading bad news at night makes us feel very nervous.
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Number three is warning system.
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This is the natural ability inside your brain to notice danger and alert your body.
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It is very old and very powerful.
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Number four is log off.
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This means to close and sign out of your apps.
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Every night, you should log off one hour before bedtime.
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And the last one, number five, is calm down.
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This means to become less worried and more relaxed.
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A good bedtime routine helps your brain calm down and get ready for sleep.
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That is all for today's episode of Everyday English Talk.
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We hope you learned something new and useful for your health and your sleep.
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So, what about you?
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Will you log off and move your phone to the kitchen tonight?
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Leave a comment below and let us know your plan.
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Thank you so much for listening.
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We will see you in the next episode.
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And always remember, keep moving, keep smiling.
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Goodbye.
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Context & Background
In today's fast-paced world, many people struggle with the tendency to engage in doom scrolling before bedtime. In a recent conversation, Ben and Anna discuss this prevalent habit, sharing their personal experiences and the negative effects it can have on mental health. They highlight the unsettling cycle of reading distressing news stories late into the night, which can create feelings of anxiety and fatigue. This dialogue serves as a relatable context for learners eager to improve their English-speaking skills while exploring an important topic that affects many in modern society.
Top 5 Phrases for Daily Communication
- “I cannot stop” – A phrase that expresses an inability to refrain from doing something.
- “This makes me feel nervous” – A useful way to communicate feelings of anxiety or fear.
- “I keep scrolling” – A common expression for continuously looking through content.
- “I want to know what is happening” – An important sentiment reflecting curiosity about current events.
- “It’s bad for me” – A phrase indicating awareness of a negative habit or behavior.
Step-by-step Shadowing Guide
Shadowing is an effective practice method for language learners that enhances English speaking practice. Here’s how to use this video to develop your skills:
- Watch the Video Once: Start by watching the video to understand the general flow of conversation and the context of doom scrolling.
- Listen Carefully: Focus on the pronunciation and intonation of the speakers. Pay close attention to the phrases listed above.
- Repeat in Real-Time: Engage in shadowspeak by repeating the sentences as you hear them. Try to mimic the speakers' tone and pace to enhance your fluency.
- Break It Down: If certain phrases are challenging, pause the video and practice them individually. This will help reinforce your understanding and pronunciation.
- Record Yourself: After several repetitions, record your voice. Listen to the playback and compare it to the original. Identify areas for improvement in your speech.
By integrating these steps into your routine, you can effectively learn English with YouTube, harnessing the power of *shadow speech* to enhance your vocabulary and conversational skills in a relevant, engaging format.
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.
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