Shadowing Practice: How To Stay Positive During Hard Times | Easy English podcast | B1-B2 Listening practice - Learn English Speaking with Video
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Hey, hey, hey, English learners!
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Welcome back to the Daily English Podcast.
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This is the place where you can learn real English, everyday English, and the kind of English you can actually use in real life.
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Yes, welcome back, everyone.
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We're really happy you're here with us today.
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This is where we have natural conversations, share real stories, and help you feel more comfortable speaking English.
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I'm Tom.
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And I'm Emma.
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Together, we're your two English friends, and today we're talking about something that almost everyone needs sometimes.
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How to stay positive during hard times.
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Exactly.
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And before you say, Emma, Tom, that sounds very serious.
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Don't worry.
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We're not going to sit here for 30 minutes saying, think positive.
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Everything is amazing.
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Because sometimes everything is not amazing.
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Sometimes your alarm goes off, you look at the ceiling, and you think, no, absolutely not, I'm not participating in today.
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I think we've all had mornings like that.
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And that's okay.
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Being positive doesn't mean pretending that life is perfect.
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It means learning how to find a little hope, strength, and direction, even when life feels difficult.
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And today, we're going to talk about what you can actually do when you're stressed, disappointed, tired, worried, or simply having a really bad week.
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We'll share real examples, useful English expressions, and simple ways to change the way you talk to yourself.
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So stay with us, and if you enjoy learning English through natural conversations, don't forget to like this episode, subscribe to Daily English Podcast,
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and tell us in the comments where you're listening from.
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And tell us this too.
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What helps you stay positive when life gets difficult?
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Maybe it's music.
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Maybe it's your family.
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Maybe it's going for a walk.
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Or maybe it's coffee.
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Tom.
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What?
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Coffee is emotional support.
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Okay, let's begin.
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So, Emma, let me ask you something.
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What does staying positive during hard times actually mean to you?
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I think it means remembering that a difficult moment is only a moment.
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It may feel very big when you're inside it, but it doesn't necessarily define your whole life.
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I like that.
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Because when something goes wrong, our brain sometimes acts like the problem is going to last forever.
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Exactly.
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You lose one opportunity and suddenly your mind says, my life is over.
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You send a message and someone doesn't reply.
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Nobody likes me.
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You make one mistake at work.
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I'm terrible at my job.
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You have one bad day.
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My entire life is a disaster.
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The brain is very dramatic.
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Very dramatic.
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Sometimes my brain deserves an award for Best Dramatic Performance.
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But seriously, that's something you need to understand.
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A hard moment can make us think in extremes.
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Everything feels bad.
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Everything feels impossible.
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And the future suddenly looks dark.
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But one of the first things we can do is separate the situation from the story we tell ourselves about the situation.
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Give us an example.
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Okay.
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Imagine you apply for a job and you don't get it. That hurts.
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Of course it hurts.
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You might feel disappointed.
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You might even feel embarrassed.
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Especially if you really wanted that job.
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Right.
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But there are two different thoughts you could have.
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First thought, I didn't get the job.
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That's a fact.
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Second thought, I didn't get the job because I'm not good enough and I'll never succeed.
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That's a story.
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And we don't actually know that story is true.
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that difference is powerful yes staying positive doesn't mean changing the fact you can't say i got the job
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when you didn't that would be a little strange instead you can say i didn't get this job
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but that doesn't mean i'll never get another one
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that sounds much healthier and it teaches us an important english phrase
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that doesn't mean we use it
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when we want to stop ourselves from making a negative conclusion for example i made a mistake
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but that doesn't mean i'm a failure i'm having a difficult month
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but that doesn't mean my whole life is bad this situation is stressful
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but that doesn't mean i can't handle it let's repeat
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that last one this situation is stressful but
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that doesn't mean i can't handle it great now let's talk
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about something else staying positive does not mean being happy all the time.
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That's very important.
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Sometimes people think positivity means smiling every day, never complaining, and always saying, everything is wonderful.
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Even when everything is absolutely not wonderful.
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Exactly.
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Your car breaks down.
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Wonderful.
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Your phone falls into the toilet.
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What a beautiful experience.
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No, you're allowed to be upset.
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You're allowed to cry.
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you're allowed to say this is really difficult you're allowed to have a bad day you're allowed to feel tired
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and you're allowed to take a break positivity is not about
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denying your emotions it's about not allowing difficult emotions to control
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every decision you make that's a big difference yes you can feel sad
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and still have hope you can feel scared and still take action You can feel disappointed and still try again.
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You can be tired and still take one small step.
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Exactly.
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I remember a time when I was working on something I really cared about, and nothing seemed to work.
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What happened?
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I had a plan.
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I thought everything would move quickly, but one problem appeared.
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Then another one.
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Then another one.
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Sounds familiar.
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Very familiar.
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At one point, I just sat there and thought, why am I even trying?
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That's a difficult thought.
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It is.
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And the funny thing was, I wasn't actually ready to quit.
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I was just tired.
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That's important.
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Sometimes we think we want to give up when what we really need is rest.
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Exactly.
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Exhaustion can make problems look bigger than they really are.
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So I stopped working for the evening.
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Good i went outside walked around ate something and slept and the next day the problem was still there
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unfortunately yes the problem did not disappear magically while i was sleeping
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but did it feel different completely different i had more energy i could think clearly and i realized the problem wasn't impossible.
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It just needed to be divided into smaller pieces.
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That is one of the most useful ideas for difficult times.
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Make the problem smaller.
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Instead of asking, how am I going to fix my entire life?
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Ask, what can I do today?
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Instead of, how am I going to solve everything?
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Ask, what is the next step?
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Instead of, when will everything become perfect?
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Ask, what can I control right now?
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That last question is powerful.
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Very powerful.
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Because there are many things we cannot control.
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We can't control what other people think.
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We can't control every result.
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We can't control the weather.
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We definitely can't control traffic.
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And we can't control when someone decides to send us a three -minute voice message.
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Especially when the whole message could have been okay.
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Exactly.
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But we can control our next action.
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We can control how we speak to ourselves.
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We can control whether we ask for help.
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We can control whether we rest.
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We can control whether we try again tomorrow.
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And focusing on what you can control can make you feel less helpless.
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Let's talk about another important thing, your inner voice.
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Yes, the way you talk to yourself during hard times matters a lot.
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Sometimes we speak to ourselves in a way we would never speak to a friend.
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That's so true.
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Imagine your friend makes a mistake.
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You might say, it's okay, everyone makes mistakes, you can learn from this.
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But when you make a mistake, you say, I'm so stupid.
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Exactly.
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Why did I do that?
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I always ruin everything.
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I'll never learn.
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We need to change that voice.
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Not into fake positivity, into realistic kindness.
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So instead of I'm stupid, say, I made a mistake, but I can learn from it.
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Instead of I can't do this.
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This is difficult, but I can take it one step at a time.
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Instead of I'm behind everyone.
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My journey is different than theirs.
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Instead of I'm not good enough.
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I'm still learning.
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I really like I'm still learning.
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Me too.
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It gives you room to grow.
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Exactly.
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You don't have to be perfect today.
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You just need to keep learning.
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And that connects beautifully with learning English, too. Of course.
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Sometimes English learners feel frustrated because they understand a lot, but still have trouble speaking.
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They think, I've studied English for years, why can't I speak perfectly?
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But speaking is a skill.
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It takes practice.
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You might make mistakes today but
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that doesn't mean you're bad at English it means you're practicing exactly
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and every time you speak you're building confidence so
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if you're learning English
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and you're having a difficult day remember I don't have to
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be perfect I just have to keep going that's a sentence worth remembering absolutely another thing
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that helps during hard times is remembering what you have already survived I love this idea.
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Think about it.
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You have already experienced difficult moments that once felt impossible.
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And somehow, you got through them.
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Maybe you lost someone.
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Maybe you changed schools or jobs.
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Maybe you moved to a new place.
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Maybe you failed at something.
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Maybe you went through a period when you didn't know what was going to happen next.
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But you're here.
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You survived those days.
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And that doesn't mean your current problem will magically disappear.
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But it gives you evidence that you are capable of getting through difficult situations.
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You can tell yourself, I've been through difficult things before, and I got through them.
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Let's repeat that.
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I've been through difficult things before, and I got through them.
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Again.
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I've been through difficult things before, and I got through them.
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That's a strong sentence.
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It is.
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And sometimes positivity comes from having something small to look forward to.
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Yes.
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It doesn't have to be something huge.
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It could be your favorite meal.
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A walk in the evening.
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A phone call with someone you love.
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A movie.
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A cup of coffee.
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A new episode of your favorite podcast.
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Hopefully this one.
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Obviously.
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Having something small to look forward to can give your day a little light.
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Especially during stressful periods.
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You might say, today was difficult, but tonight I'm going to relax for an hour.
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Or, this week is stressful, but on Saturday I'm going to spend time with my friends.
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You're giving yourself a small reason to keep moving forward.
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Exactly.
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And that leads us to another important point.
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Don't underestimate small things.
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We often think change has to be dramatic.
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New year, new job, new house, new life.
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But sometimes change begins with drinking a glass of water.
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Taking a shower.
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Cleaning your room.
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Going outside for 10 minutes.
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Answering one important email.
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Practicing English for 15 minutes.
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Going to bed a little earlier.
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Saying no to something you don't have energy for.
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These things may sound small.
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But small actions can change the direction of your day
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and sometimes changing your day is the first step towards changing your life I think people forget
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that they do they wait for motivation when I feel motivated I'll start
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but motivation often comes after action exactly you don't always feel
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like exercising before you exercise you don't always feel like studying
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before you study you don't always feel like cleaning before you clean you start first
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and then your mood can change sometimes action creates motivation that's
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why i like the idea of one small step not 10
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steps not 50 steps one ask yourself what is one thing i can do right now
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that will make my situation a little better maybe you need to send a message Send it.
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Maybe you need to make a plan.
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Write it down.
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Maybe you need help.
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Ask for it.
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Maybe you need rest.
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Take it.
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Maybe you need to forgive yourself.
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Start there.
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You don't have to solve everything today.
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You just have to move forward a little.
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And Emma, I think there's another trap we should talk about.
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Absolutely.
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When life is hard, looking at other people's lives can make you feel worse.
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especially on social media.
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You open your phone.
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Someone is traveling.
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Someone got a new job.
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Someone bought a new car.
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Someone is getting married.
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Someone apparently is drinking coffee on a beach every Tuesday morning.
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But seriously, social media usually shows a small part of someone's life.
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You see the picture, not the whole story.
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You see the vacation, not the stress.
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you see the success not the years of failure you see the celebration not the difficult days
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so comparing your real life to someone else's highlight reel is
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not fair your life has its own timeline your progress may
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be slower your situation may be different your goals may be different
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and that's okay one useful phrase is i'm on my own journey say it
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when you start comparing yourself to someone else i'm on my
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own journey again i'm on my own journey good another thing
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that can help is talking to someone yes don't carry everything
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alone sometimes we think asking for help means we are weak
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but asking for help can actually be a sign of strength You might say, I'm having a difficult time.
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Can I talk to you?
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Or, I don't need advice right now.
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I just need someone to listen.
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That's a very useful sentence.
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Because sometimes you don't want someone to fix your life.
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You just want them to sit there and say, I understand.
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Exactly.
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And sometimes that simple connection can make a difficult day feel lighter.
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We are human beings.
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We need other people.
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We need conversations.
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We need support.
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We need laughter.
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We need people who remind us that we are not alone.
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And sometimes we also need to laugh at ourselves.
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Definitely.
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Because if we take every little mistake seriously, life becomes exhausting.
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Very true.
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You spill coffee?
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Clean it up.
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You forget something?
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Write it down next time.
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You say the wrong word in English?
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Learn the right one.
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You send a message to the wrong person?
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Maybe turn off your phone and move to another country.
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I'm joking.
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I hope you're joking.
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I am.
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Probably.
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But mistakes are part of life.
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And sometimes the healthiest thing we can say is, Okay, that happened.
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What can I learn from it?
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Exactly.
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Not, why am I such a terrible person?
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Not, my life is ruined.
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Just, what can I learn from this?
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That question moves you from shame toward growth.
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And that is another form of positivity.
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Yes.
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Positive thinking is not always about feeling good.
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Sometimes it's about finding something useful inside a difficult experience.
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You lose something.
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Maybe you learn what matters.
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You fail.
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Maybe you learn what to change.
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Someone disappoints you.
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Maybe you learn something about boundaries.
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You make a mistake.
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Maybe you learn a better way.
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You have a difficult season?
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Maybe you discover how strong you really are.
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I like that.
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Me too.
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But Emma, what about those days when you try everything and you still feel negative?
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Then you stop fighting the feeling.
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Explain.
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Sometimes we make ourselves feel worse because we're angry at ourselves for feeling bad.
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That's true.
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We say, why am I sad?
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I should be positive.
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Which creates another problem.
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Exactly.
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Instead, say, I'm having a hard day, and that's okay.
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So you accept the feeling without becoming the feeling.
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Beautifully said.
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Thank you.
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I have my moments.
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You do.
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So we can say, I feel sad, but I am not a sad person.
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I feel worried, but I am not my worry.
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I feel tired, but this feeling will change.
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That creates space space to breathe space to think space to choose your next action
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and sometimes that's exactly what we need a little space another practical thing is gratitude
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but not fake gratitude right you don't have to sit there during a terrible day
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and say I am grateful for absolutely everything even the broken washing machine maybe not the washing machine thank goodness
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so what do you mean by gratitude?
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Notice one thing that is still good.
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A warm meal.
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A safe place to sleep.
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A friend who checks on you.
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Your health.
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A beautiful sunset.
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A funny conversation.
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A quiet morning.
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Even something very small.
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Gratitude doesn't erase the problem.
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No. It simply reminds you that the problem is not the only thing in your life.
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Exactly.
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That's a very important sentence your problem is not your whole
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life your bad day is not your whole life your mistake
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is not your whole identity your current situation is not necessarily
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your future things can change you can change you can learn you can recover you can start again
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and sometimes starting again is the strongest thing you can do i want everyone listening to remember
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that especially if you're you're going through something difficult right now.
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Maybe you don't know what will happen next.
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Maybe you're worried about money.
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Maybe you're worried about work.
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Maybe you're having problems with someone you love.
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Maybe you're trying to reach a goal and nothing seems to be working.
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Maybe you feel stuck.
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If that's you, take a breath.
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You don't need to know the entire future today.
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You just need to take care of today.
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One day at a time.
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One step at a time.
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one conversation at a time one decision at a time one small win at a time
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and if today is too difficult make the goal smaller very small get out of bed Drink some water.
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Take a shower.
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Eat something.
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Open the window.
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Go outside.
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Call someone.
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Do 10 minutes of work.
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Practice 5 minutes of English.
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Then stop if you need to.
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You are still moving.
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And remember this.
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Walking is still moving.
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You don't have to run.
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You don't have to move as fast as everyone else.
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You just have to keep going in a direction that helps you.
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I think that's one of the healthiest definitions of positivity.
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Me too.
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Not I'm happy all the time.
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But I believe things can get better.
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Not I have no problems.
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But I can face my problems.
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Not I never feel afraid.
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But I can be afraid and still take the next step.
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Not everything is perfect.
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But there is still something worth moving toward.
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That is real positivity.
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Exactly.
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And before we finish, let's give our listeners a small challenge.
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I love challenges.
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For the next 24 hours, whenever something goes wrong, don't immediately say, this is terrible.
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Instead, pause.
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Take a breath.
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And ask yourself three questions.
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Number one, what can I control?
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Number two, what can I learn?
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And number three, what is one small thing I can do next?
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That's it.
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Three questions.
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And if you want to practice your English, say your answers out loud.
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I can control my next step.
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I can learn from this.
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I can do one small thing.
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I don't have to solve everything today.
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I've been through difficult things before, and I got through them.
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This is difficult, but I can handle it.
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I'm still learning.
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I'm still growing.
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I'm still moving forward.
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Beautiful.
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And Emma, I think we should leave them with one final thought.
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Go ahead, Tom.
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Hard times can change you.
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Yes.
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But they don't have to break you.
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Sometimes difficult periods teach us patience.
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Sometimes they teach us courage.
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Sometimes they show us who really cares about us.
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Sometimes they make us stronger.
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And sometimes they simply teach us to appreciate peaceful days more.
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So if you're having a hard time right now, don't demand that yourself be happy every second.
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Be patient with yourself.
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Rest when you need to.
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Ask for help when you need it.
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Cry if you need to.
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Laugh when you can.
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And keep going when you're ready.
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You don't have to have everything figured out.
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You don't have to know exactly where you'll be six months from now.
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You just need to believe that today is not the end of your story.
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There can still be better mornings,
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better conversations, new opportunities, new friendships, new ideas, new beginnings.
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And maybe one day you'll look back at this difficult period and realize something.
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What?
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You were stronger than you thought.
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I love that.
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And maybe you'll even laugh about some of the things that stressed you out.
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Hopefully.
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Like the three -minute voice message.
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Tom!
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Okay, English learners, that's all for today.
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If you enjoyed this conversation, don't forget to like the episode and subscribe to Daily English Podcast.
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And leave a comment below.
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Tell us what helps you stay positive during hard times.
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And if you're learning English with us, write one sentence using this phrase, I stay positive by… For example,
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I stay positive by listening to music.
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I stay positive by talking to my friends.
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I stay positive by taking things one day at a time.
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Or I stay positive by drinking coffee.
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Tom, I'm staying consistent.
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Okay, fair enough.
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Thank you so much for spending this time with us.
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Remember, you don't have to be positive every minute.
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You just have to keep a little hope alive.
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Take care of yourself.
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Keep learning.
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Keep practicing.
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Keep going.
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And remember, one difficult day does not define your life.
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We'll see you in the next episode.
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Bye, everyone.
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Bye.
About This Lesson
You're practicing English with "How To Stay Positive During Hard Times | Easy English podcast | B1-B2 Listening practice" using the Shadowing technique — a method originally developed for professional interpreter training.
Focus on sounding like the speaker — not just repeating words. With 15–30 minutes of daily practice, you'll build real-world speaking confidence.
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.