Shadowing Practice: what I did during a month with no phone - Learn English Speaking with Video
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Hello everyone and welcome back to another vlog.
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This is going to be a little bit different because
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this is going to be a recap of my entire month of August.
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Over the past month, I have not used any social media basically at all.
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I have not scrolled on anything.
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During this month of no social media, I have been all over the place on weekend trips, road trips, work trips out of the country, in and out of airports, and all different modes of transportation.
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But in between, there have been the cozy, simple moments too.
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I've had sleepovers with friends, long walks with long conversations.
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I spent so many mornings at the beach, afternoons just journaling or painting.
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I've spent hours reading, wandering through bookstores, baking, trying to cook, a lot of horseback riding.
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I've been doing all these things because something I preach all the time on my channel is the importance of having hobbies, especially in adulthood, which I feel like gets lost between busy work schedules,
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balancing social lives, and then spending any free time we do have just endlessly scrolling on social media.
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So earlier in the month
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when I decided I was just going to do no scrolling on social media at all and I was really enjoying it.
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It was only going to be for like a day or two because social media like makes me anxious sometimes.
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But after those two days I was like why is this
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the most at peace I've ever felt in my life and I decided to just keep it going indefinitely.
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I mean I'm still doing it now and I'm filming this video.
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I haven't opened TikTok or scrolled on Instagram at all.
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My mind just feels so quiet and peaceful
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because I chose to fill my time with things that bring me peace and happiness completely outside of my phone.
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I also feel like this month I had
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so much time to do a lot of reflecting on my own life
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and things that are important to me now and what will be important to me for the rest of my life.
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The binding of my journal has started to come undone
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and I've developed that bump on my finger that I haven't had since school because I've been writing so much.
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So in this video I thought it would be fun to go through my month but do it through my journal.
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And this is so vulnerable because I'm going to be reading
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journal entries that I've written throughout the month of August
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and also show the vlog footage that like coincides with the topics and things that I'm talking about.
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My journal is like something that's the most personal thing to me in my entire world
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and there's obviously so much in here that I would never read out loud, never let anyone in my real life see, let alone the internet, but I have compiled some entries
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and written things specifically to share with you
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and I just thought it would be really fun unique way
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so on brand for me
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because i journal almost every single day it's like kind of my ritual
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when i wake up in the morning drink my coffee
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and journal i have a bunch of vlog footage to share with you where i'm not really talking
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but i'm showing so i thought i could talk right now
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and then show you as i'm talking so
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if you're ready to get a glimpse of the inside of my brain then keep on watching
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August 15th, 2025.
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Lately, I've been trying to spend less time online and more time outside.
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Not doing something with the idea of posting about it or taking pictures, just doing it because I want to.
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Figuring out my life and what I love when no one is watching.
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Going on adventures, picking up old hobbies I'd let slip away, spending time with my favorite people, and also spending time completely alone.
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I've loved slowing down and being intentional with how I spend my time, whether it's just sitting by the water, getting lost in something creative, or being around people who really know me.
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It's about choosing connection and experiences over distractions, and it's made life feel fuller and more grounded.
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We went on a weekend road trip to be surrounded by farms and nature.
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An off-the-grid weekend is what I like to call it.
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We rode horses through the woods and around the lake.
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My horse was the slowest, always at the very back of the group, no matter how many times I tried to get him to catch up.
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Maybe he knew I needed the quiet and calmness of being alone.
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They do say that horses understand human emotions.
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On the way back from the trail ride, it started downpouring.
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Full thunder and lightning and rain so hard you could barely see.
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We ran home giggling with clothes sticking to our bodies, jumping in puddles like little kids.
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Plans for the day now cancelled.
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I was showered and in my pajamas by 2pm.
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I learned how to play chess, sort of.
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I can't remember how any of the pieces move and I lost dramatically.
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But we drank tea and read for hours, listening to the storm.
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It was the best day ever.
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I didn't check my phone once.
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Except to text my mom back.
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Can I please reply tomorrow?
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August 13th, 2025.
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I'm currently in Vancouver, Canada.
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This is probably one of the most exciting work trips I've ever been on.
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I'm only here for two full days and will only have free time early in the mornings or at night, so I'm squeezing in as much exploring as I can.
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Yesterday morning, I walked from my hotel down to the marina and along the seawall, where the water meets a mountainside covered in trees.
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There's something about the mix of ocean, forests, mountains, and foggy mornings that feels so comforting.
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Between this trip and Oregon, I've realized how much I love the Pacific Northwest and need to come back here more.
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Today we took a boat ride through some of the most
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picturesque scenery I've ever seen out to a little island for the day.
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The house is sat on cliff sides nestled and hidden between trees.
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The only way to get to the mainland is by boat.
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I think I would love living like that you would always have a valid excuse for staying home.
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Even though my trip was quick, it was the perfect place to reset.
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I felt like a tiny little ant in the city surrounded by tall buildings and even taller mountains.
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I spent my limited free time in cozy cafes and bakeries, met new, lovely people, and just soaked in a place that feels both vibrant and calm at the same time.
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August 18th, 2025.
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One of the most freeing parts of adulthood, besides living alone and not having a curfew, is reconnecting with the things you loved as a kid without any shame or embarrassment.
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Nobody is telling you what is cool or uncool.
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There's no one to fit in with.
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Nobody is going to tease you for having a weird hobby.
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You don't have to play volleyball just because it's the cool thing everyone is doing.
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I remember going to camp one summer for Girl Scouts and having a horseback riding lesson.
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I must have been around seven years old, and I fell in love with it straight away.
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I went to Sleepaway Horse Camp in the woods every summer after that, signed up for lessons, made plans for how I would one day have a barn
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and a yard full of horses of my own.
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Somewhere along the way, that faded, but the dream always lived in the back of my head.
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Now, at 23, I've been taking weekly lessons again.
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I've started going on trail rides on the weekends.
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I bought a pair of the nice boots I always wanted.
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Going riding again has reminded me of the simple joy I felt when I was younger
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And it's shown me that a huge part of finding yourself in adulthood
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Is honoring the passions that have always been there Realizing who you are is just who you were
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Before anyone told you who you should be Now you get to pick up these hobbies again
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and enjoy them purely for yourself Whether it's riding horses, painting, collecting things, listening to boy bands or reading romance books
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Without worrying about being cool There's something so grounding about going back to the hobbies that once made me happiest before life, schedules, and other people's opinions got in the way.
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It's like giving your younger self permission to breathe again, only this time with the confidence of knowing you don't owe anyone an explanation.
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August 20th, 2025.
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There were entire days that I forgot my phone existed this month.
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My first instinct in the morning is not to check my notifications.
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I enjoy my coffee and my phone is still charging in the corner of my room.
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I don't instinctively click on my social media apps when I open my phone.
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The time that would have been spent scrolling is now spent being a better friend and family member, being creative, and learning new things.
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I think when people are out of school it's easy to forget to keep learning.
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Today I watched a video about the self-governed Isle of Man, how to start and maintain a flower garden, and the entire history of Scotland from 1654 to 2025.
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August 19th, 2025.
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Every year when August comes around, I get this weird nostalgic feeling.
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It still feels like summer because the days are hot and long, but they start to feel numbered.
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The sun starts to set earlier and suddenly summer feels fleeting.
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It feels like standing between two seasons, still holding on to the easy, slow days of summer while knowing change is right around the corner.
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August will forever feel like the end of childhood summers with back to school season looming over my head.
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No matter how old I get, my internal clock never lets that go.
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Each year that feeling comes back and lingers through the end of the month.
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August holds both the sweetness of freedom and the quiet reminder that it's ending, which makes me look back at summers past and forward to what could be next.
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it's the same mix of excitement and sadness, like an ending and a beginning happening at the same time.
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August 24th, 2025.
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I just got back from Cape Cod, a place I've always dreamed about visiting but never have.
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We flew in late at night, and when I woke up, I was in a home I'd never been to, but have heard so many stories about that it already felt like I had.
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Spending the days in a little rental car, driving up and down the Cape with no plans or idea where to go.
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Just listening to Noah Kahn with the windows down, stumbling into towns that felt like postcards come to life.
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Walking down beaches, window shopping, browsing every bookstore we passed.
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and me doing what I always do while traveling, checking Zillow and planning a future of what it would be like to live here.
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On the last evening, my flight looming just a few hours away, I sat on a rocking chair on the back porch for probably two hours, feeling the most at peace I think I've ever felt in my life.
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All I could hear were the birds and the bugs.
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The sun was setting through the trees, the weather was perfect, and I was having one of those dramatic moments where I was like, I'm really, really lucky, and I'm glad I'm alive,
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and I get to have days like this and know the people that I do, and I will never take anything for granted again.
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Basically, I just had a really good weekend.
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August 24th, 2025.
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It's actually two minutes after writing the last entry, and on second thought, looking back at it, it actually wasn't a perfect weekend at all.
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Actually, on paper, everything that could have possibly went wrong, went wrong.
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We got stuck in standstill traffic on the way to the one specific store we were trying to go to, which was closed when we finally did make it there.
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So we drove to the beach, which was also closed because of dangerous tides, so instead we drove to Chatham, and of course, an 18-wheeler was stuck on the road, so the way into town was closed.
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When taking the detour, we got stuck in a funeral escort line by accident, finally got out, made our way into town, and had the most chaotic experience trying to find parking.
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And then when we finally found a spot, the car behind us hit our rental car.
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There was nothing to do at that point but laugh on the side of the road after calling the police.
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And yet despite all of that, when reflecting on the day, it was still the best day ever.
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August 26, 2025.
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I read a book this week that I loved.
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It's been a while since I read a book that made me want to write.
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It was called My Friends by Frederick Backman.
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I read almost the whole thing in one day.
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It was raining all Sunday and it was my only weekend home all month.
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So I decided to stay in bed and finish the book.
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It was about a girl named Louisa with no family besides her best friend who just passed away.
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She meets a very sick man graffitying in an alleyway and afterwards realizes it's her favorite artist, the one whose painting she has thought about every day of her life,
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the one that made her want to become an artist.
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When the man passes away, he leaves his most valuable work of art, her favorite painting, to Louisa.
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She sets off on a mission to discover who the kids sitting on the pier in the painting are.
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That's when she meets Ted, the artist's best friend and one out of the three people in the painting.
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Together they embark on a train ride to where it all began, and Louisa learns the truth behind the painting and the importance of friendship.
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I felt so moved by this story I needed to write it down.
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It's one of those books that sits heavy in your chest for days after you finish it, and you just wish you could make everyone you know read it.
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August 11th, 2025.
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What I've learned from my years of posting online is
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that people will tell you who you are and who you are not.
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You will notice things about yourself that you've never worried about before.
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You will be misunderstood, you will be analyzed, you will be criticized, and you will be disliked.
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For things you didn't do, and things you did do.
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For things you didn't say, and things you did say.
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But what I have also learned is who I actually am.
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The constant analysis of my character has pushed me to reflect and get to know myself truly.
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in a way that I don't think a lot of people ever do.
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I'm 23 and I know who I am, what I stand for, what I believe, what I value, what I love, who I love, and what is really important in life.
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People can assume and misunderstand and make things up, but I know myself and I love who I am.
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Nobody, especially anyone who doesn't actually know me, can take that away.
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Okay, now that you've seen a little glimpse into the inner workings of my brain, not anywhere to the depths that this thing goes, but I hope you enjoyed seeing my month through my journal.
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I loved doing this video.
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I feel like that was so much fun and such a cool and different way to do a little vlog.
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I don't know when I'll be back on my other social videos.
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YouTube is obviously different because I don't end up endlessly scrolling on there
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and it doesn't take away a lot of my time
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if anything it's just like background noise while I do my chores
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but I think I'll like post sporadically here and there on social media
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but I think I'm gonna stick to my no scrolling detox
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because I don't really have a reason to scroll this past month as you can see I had
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so many purely peaceful moments and anytime there was like a quiet time
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that I would normally go on my phone
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and get sucked into scrolling for hours
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and hours I got to do something mentally stimulating or creative
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or thought-provoking or catch up with my friends or call people
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that I haven't talked to in a while things like
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that like I found ways to fill my free time
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that were actually fulfilling and not just scrolling and scrolling
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because like I was thinking when we're old
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and we look back at like our prime young years of being like in your teens 20s 30s whatever
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and you're like oh I spent
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Every single night scrolling on my phone for four hours
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And none of that is gonna have any memory
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when you're older like you're not gonna have any memory of any of
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that I'm like becoming more aware of that
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and what I actually want to do
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and what I want to spend my time on Like learn new things
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and have new hobbies and get good at something making the most Of the time
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that I have with the people in my life too is
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super important to me I just feel really really lucky
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and grateful after this month
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and I feel like super feel like I touched grass Like that's like chronically online saying
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but I feel like I literally did touch grass
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and just like came back to myself And I just feel so much better.
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But yeah, i'm gonna stop talking now
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and i'm gonna end this video here I was gonna say you can follow me on my other social medias.
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They're all linked down below as always which they are but They've been pretty dead for the past month.
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So I don't know if you want to do that But i'll see you in my next video very very soon.
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Bye
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Who Is This Video For?
This video is perfect for intermediate English learners aiming to boost their speaking skills, especially for IELTS speaking practice or everyday conversation. It’s ideal if you want to practice natural, conversational flow—think storytelling, reflecting on personal experiences, and using vivid language. The slow, intentional pace makes it great for shadowing technique practice, where you mimic the speaker’s tone and rhythm to build fluency.
Words & Idioms Worth Stealing
- "All over the place": Busy or moving between many activities/locations. Example: "Last week, I was all over the place with work and family events."
- "Cozy, simple moments": Small, warm, uncomplicated experiences. Example: "My favorite part of the weekend was the cozy, simple moments with a book and tea."
- "Undone" (referring to an object): Coming apart. Example: "The pages of my old notebook are starting to come undone."
- "Off-the-grid": Away from technology or modern conveniences. Example: "We spent a weekend off-the-grid in a cabin with no Wi-Fi."
How to Get the Accent Right
The speaker uses a relaxed, conversational tone with natural pauses—key for sounding authentic. Focus on shadow speak by repeating phrases like "I've been all over the place" or "my mind just feels so quiet" to mimic her rhythm. Notice how she stresses words like "peace" and "intentional" to emphasize emotion. For english speaking practice, record yourself shadowing and compare it to the video—you’ll quickly pick up her smooth intonation. Don’t rush; her pace lets you focus on clarity, which is crucial for IELTS success. This video is a goldmine for building confidence in speaking about personal stories—start practicing today, and you’ll see progress in no time!
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Present perfect continuous have/has been + -ing — an action that started earlier and is still going on | I've been doing · I've been writing · I've been trying |
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | have not scrolled · have been · I've had |
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | be surrounded · was showered · is sat |
| Relative clauses who / which + clause — extra information about a person or thing | people who really · ending, which makes · beach, which was |
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.