Shadowing Practice: ways to feel a little better - Learn English Speaking with Video

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Hi there and welcome to the annual worst month of my life.

Old jokes aside, there has been an unexplained pattern of September being a hard month for me every single year.

We're officially moving into the second week of September 2026 and so far it hasn't been too bad.

I only really coined this speculation last September and

so perhaps this year I've been a little bit cautious even as we approach September.

With that caution, I've put together a little list of things

that I like to do to feel a little bit better

number one is to create an achievable routine for yourself emphasis on achievable this could consist of one two

or three things mine currently includes getting out of bed going downstairs to make a cup of matcha for myself

and then eventually

when i feel like i'm able to going back upstairs to wash my face it sounds stupidly simple

but it's definitely a lot harder

when you're not having the best day your achievable routine can

genuinely just be getting yourself out of bed putting on a pair of pants

and going downstairs to sit on your couch

or moving off your couch going upstairs

and putting on a change of clothes whatever it is get to know what is achievable for you

when we're in a productive mood

or just in a better mood i feel like we're definitely

more easily able to cross things off our list with this

achievable list you're not putting too much strain on your mental

or physical health and still get to feel like you've done something really really huge

that day my achievable routine also helps me just get a to start to my day.

I'm able to rely on this familiarity to support my nervous system as it exits.

Lots of heavy feelings.

And I try my best to not punish myself

if I'm only able to complete half or one item on the list

or on the days where I get a later start on my routine.

Number two is to put on something familiar.

This could be a song, a full album, a movie, a comfort TV show i usually have my morning playlist playing

in the background as i get ready going through my achievable

routine on days where i need the extra help i put on my favorite movie

or tv show

that i've literally seen a thousand times the focus is more

sonic than other senses the purpose is to have something comforting

to sort of ease your way through activities the sonic aspect really calms your your nervous system down.

Sometimes after or even before I go through my achieve routine, I have something called floor time.

My roommate Laurel and I used to do this all the time.

We're not feeling super great or just need a little bit of a reset.

We'll put on a really good song and just lie on the floor and allow ourselves to melt into the song.

There were also other days where we would put blankets over our head and just sort of bop around the living room.

Again, we're not talking.

We're not even necessarily singing to the song.

It's just to calm our nervous system.

When we're feeling a little bit more I guess energetic

which literally shake it all out of our system

and I'll be honest there have been weeks where I'll have the same movie playing on repeat over and over again.

I know how the song goes, I know what happens at the end of the movie

and I don't have to have my guards up in anticipation for something unfamiliar.

I just have something familiar and reliable there to support me as I move forward.

The third thing that often helps me feel a little bit better is something

that I touched on in my recent notebook video.

It's to make a list of all the things that you've ever done at the top of your head.

These are positive things or achievements as some people call them.

It can be from today, yesterday, the whole year, or in the entirety of your life.

It can be big things or small tasks just to practice of looking back

and realizing how capable you are and how much potential you still hold, how great you are.

It can seem a little bit self-centered, braggy, but everybody deserves a little pat on the back, especially when you're not feeling your best.

You can take it one step further and keep the list around to reread when you need it.

I know some people who make it into a little script that I have on their phone.

They take out the script to reread before a date, a big meeting, an event they're hosting.

I haven't necessarily had to practice that, but I love leaving myself little post-it notes around, whether it's right in front of my computer.

I used to have some of my bathroom mirror to see when I'm putting on my makeup.

Places that are visible that you frequent a lot.

Another good one can be the inside of your coffee cupboard.

So every time you open it to get your coffee beans, you have a little reminder greeting you.

I'm always scared that I sound so full of myself

when I suggest this as a practice but just try it out

and let me know

if it helps you to create more than you consume just make something even

if it's kind of bad this could be a video diary cooking something baking something a little craft going outside

and doing some gardening staying inside and doing some reflective journaling

or even creating a catalog of the outfits

that you're going to wear for the next week whatever medium it is try going inward

and seeing what it is

that you have to say rather than what other people are

saying seeing what you're able to create instead of comparing yourself to what other people are making

and if this is a practice

that you already have under your belt change your medium allow yourself to stretch

and look from a different perspective see what other formats you're capable of you might just surprise yourself

and maybe feel even a little bit better now we're moving

into sort of like the adventurous tier ideal task to get

yourself to feel better purging your space we're getting adventurous

but not crazy so just pick one area of your life

that chair in the corner of your room with all the clothes you have

and haven't worn have and haven't washed the food in

that one area of your pantry

that you know you haven't touched in months the pile of

books you need to return to library the box of recycling

your garage the idea is to allow yourself to just let

go literally let go of physical areas in your life

that are causing you stress

that are weighing you down again choose one area this could even be the tail end of the previous point

that i mentioned after you garden clean up the space

and throw out the trash whatever version that makes you feel a little lighter, a little better, and if none of these things feel like they are achievable for you just yet,

sometimes it's actually most helpful to just accept that this is how you're feeling right now.

Allow yourself to sit with it.

Sit with yourself.

Allow yourself to do absolutely nothing.

100

Not being on your phone, watching a movie, not even reading your favorite book.

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You could make yourself a cup of tea or wrap yourself in a blanket or just sit completely starfish on the couch.

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Whatever configuration you choose, be with where you're at and who you are right now.

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I'll be honest, most Septembers do start like that for me.

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Or I'm three points into this list and then gravitate to just sitting still by myself in absolute silence.

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We're not feeling our best and that's okay.

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There's literally no point in beating ourselves up over it.

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It doesn't help even intellectualizing how we're feeling.

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I've learned that I just need to let myself be a little sad before I get a little better.

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I have three bonus points.

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Get off your phone, just do it.

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Put it in another room.

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Put it away.

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Go for a walk somewhere you know really well

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or completely new with or without music or a podcast accompanying you but preferably by yourself.

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And lastly, have something to eat or drink without any distractions.

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Whenever I'm feeling up, I always think of

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that reel where one kid is crying and the other kid's just looking and he's like, have you taken a nap today?

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Well, you need one.

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And sometimes the most basic physical self-care is what we need.

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And give yourself a hug even when you don't think you need one.

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I hope your september and 2026 have been kind so far

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if not or even

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if they have been I hope you found this video helpful

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this year I found the most help from purging my space

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been clearing out a lot of my closet I always know

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that once I get through september I am in the best mood possible for the rest of the year

127

because of the cold weather I have a couple of exciting videos coming up

128

so stay tuned for those and I'll talk to you soon bye Thank you.

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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson

This B1 speaking lesson is built on the video “ways to feel a little better”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: achievable, feeling, september, routine. This video has 128 sentences and 1603 words to shadow. The speech runs for 7:19. The speaker talks fast, about 219 words per minute, so expect linked and reduced sounds. 84% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English; the rest is worth studying before you start.

Key vocabulary in this video

The 15 most advanced words in the video, with pronunciation and meaning:

Word	Pronunciation	Meaning
achievable adjective	/əˈt͡ʃivəbəl/	Capable of being achieved, which either means possible or probable.
couch noun	/ˈkaʊ̯t͡ʃ/	An item of furniture, often upholstered, for the comfortable seating of more than one person; a sofa.
adventurous adjective	/ædˈvɛn.t͡ʃɚ.əs/	Inclined to adventure; willing to take risks; prone to embark on hazardous enterprises; daring.
reread verb	/ɹiːˈɹiːd/	To read again.
purge verb	/pɜɹd͡ʒ/	To clean thoroughly; to rid of impurities; to cleanse; to clear of (something unwanted).
downstairs adverb	/daʊnˈstɛɹz/	Down the stairs.
upstairs adverb	/ˌʌpˈstɛɹz/	Up the stairs; on or to a higher floor or level.
sonic adjective	/ˈsɑnɪk/	Of or relating to sound.
cloth noun	/klɒθ/	A fabric, usually made of woven, knitted, or felted fibres or filaments, such as used in dressing, decorating, cleaning or other practical use. Sometimes…
blanket noun	/ˈblæŋ.kɪt/	A heavy, loosely woven fabric, usually large and woollen, used for warmth while sleeping or resting.
braggy adjective		Prone to brag.
cupboard noun	/ˈkʌb.əd/	A cabinet, closet, or other piece of furniture with shelves intended for storing cookware, dishware, or food; similar cabinets or closets used for storing…
excite verb	/ɪkˈsaɪt/	To stir the emotions of; to cause to feel excitement.
familiarity noun	/fəmɪliˈæɹɪti/	The state of being extremely friendly; intimacy.
gravitate verb	/ˈɡɹævɪteɪt/	To move under the force of gravity.

Phrasal verbs you will hear

Word	Pronunciation	Meaning
go through verb		To travel from one end of something to the other.
clean up verb		To make an area or a thing clean; to pick up a mess; to tidy.
clear out verb		To completely empty.
come up verb		To emerge or become known, especially unexpectedly.
get off verb		To move from being on top of (something) to not being on top of it.
get out of verb		To leave, exit or escape from; to become free of.
get through verb	/ɡɛt ˈθɹu/	To overcome; to endure.
go back verb		To return to a place or state after having been there at a previous time.

Sentences worth repeating

Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:

We're not even necessarily singing to the song.
It's just to calm our nervous system.
We're not feeling our best and that's okay.
It doesn't help even intellectualizing how we're feeling.

Grammar in this video

The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:

Structure	In the video
“Used to” used to + verb — a past habit or state that is no longer true	used to do · used to have
Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now	has been · hasn't been · I've been
Superlatives the -est / the most … — the top or bottom of a group	the best · my best · your best
Present continuous am/is/are + -ing — something happening right now or around now	you're not having · you're not putting · we're not talking

Pronunciation to watch

The speaker uses 46 contractions and reduced forms, such as we're, you're, I'm. Say them the short way, as you hear them.

The “sh” and “zh” sounds: starfish /ˈstɑː(ɹ)fɪʃ/, anticipation /ænˌtɪs.əˈpeɪ.ʃən/, distraction /dɪsˈtɹæk.ʃən/, cautious /ˈkɔːʃəs/, punish /ˈpʌnɪʃ/
Long words — get the stress right: achievable /əˈt͡ʃivəbəl/, adventurous /ædˈvɛn.t͡ʃɚ.əs/, familiarity /fəmɪliˈæɹɪti/, intellectualize /ɪntəˈlɛkt͡ʃuəlaɪz/, unfamiliar /ˌʌnfəˈmɪli.ə(ɹ)/

How to practise with this video

Listen to the whole video once without speaking and note the words you do not know.
Start at 0.75× speed, shadow it sentence by sentence, then go back to normal speed once it feels easy.
Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like achievable, couch, adventurous.

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.

Shadowing technique: read the full step-by-step guide →

Shadowing Practice: ways to feel a little better - Learn English Speaking with Video

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