Shadowing Practice: Why You Cry At Random Times (And Can’t Explain It) - Learn English Speaking with Video
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Have you ever started crying for no clear reason?
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Like, you're just going about your day and suddenly your chest tightens, your eyes start to sting, and before you can even figure out why, you're crying.
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And the strangest part is that nothing big even happened.
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You just sit there wondering, why is this happening right now?
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If that's something you've experienced, you're not alone.
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In this video, we are going to explore why emotions can show up out of nowhere, what your brain and body might be trying to process,
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and why these moments aren't as random as they feel.
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We actually made a video before on why you might feel sad for no reason sometimes, and one of the comments that really stood out was this,
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what about crying or getting angry for no reason?
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So today we wanted to focus on the crying part first.
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And if after watching this you'd like us to explore the anger side too, just let us know in the comments.
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We can make that for you as well.
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Or for someone you care about.
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Okay, let's begin.
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1. Your brain is processing something you haven't fully faced yet.
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Sometimes emotions don't come up when things happen.
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They come up later.
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When your mind finally has space to feel them.
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You might have pushed something aside earlier, a stressful conversation, a disappointment, or even something that didn't seem important at the time.
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But your brain doesn't It doesn't just delete emotions, it stores them.
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And when things slow down, your mind goes back to process what it didn't have time for before.
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That random wave of emotion might've actually been something that's been waiting.
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Two, your body feels before your mind understands.
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Have you ever cried and only figured out why after?
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That's because your emotional system doesn't always work in words.
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Your body reacts first, tension builds, your chest tightens, your breathing shifts, and only later does your mind try to catch up and explain it.
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So when you suddenly feel like crying, it might not be random.
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It might just be your body speaking before your thoughts can.
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Three, small triggers can open big feelings.
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Sometimes it's not about the moment itself.
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It's what the moment connects to.
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A smell, a song, a random memory.
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Even something as simple as the way someone looks at you can bring up something deeper, and suddenly, you're not just reacting to now,
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you're reacting to everything that feels familiar to it.
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And that's why it can be confusing, because the trigger is small, but the emotion is not.
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Four.
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You've been holding more than you realize.
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Have you been busy lately?
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Distracted?
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Focused on getting through the day?
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Sometimes we don't notice how much we're carrying until it spills over.
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People who are used to keeping it together often don't process emotions in real time.
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They store them layer by layer by layer until something small, a moment, a passing thought,
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or even nothing at all becomes the point where everything finally releases.
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If you keep throwing everything on the shelf, eventually the shelf is going to break.
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5. Your nervous system might be overwhelmed.
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When your body has been under stress for a while, it doesn't always show up as obvious panic or anxiety.
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Sometimes it shows up as sudden emotional release.
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Crying can actually be one of the ways your body tries to regulate itself, to release tension, to reset.
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Those unexpected tears might be your system trying to rebalance.
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They might not actually be a breakdown.
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So if you ever found yourself crying for no reason, it might not be that there's no reason.
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It might just be that The reason isn't obvious yet.
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Researchers suggest that emotions don't always follow a clear timeline, especially when they've been delayed, suppressed, or processed subconsciously.
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And honestly, when we go through the comments on our videos, we see this all the time.
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So many of you share things like, I start crying and I don't even know why.
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It hits me out of nowhere.
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I feel fine, and then suddenly, I'm not.
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If you've ever felt confused by your own emotions like that, You're clearly not the only one trying to make sense of it.
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You're not too emotional.
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You're someone whose mind and body are still processing things, sometimes in ways that aren't immediate or obvious.
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And while these moments can feel overwhelming, they can also be signs, little reminders that something inside you needs attention, care, or understanding.
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So the next time this happens, instead of asking what's wrong with me,
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you might try asking, what might I be feeling that I haven't had the chance to notice yet?
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Let us know in the comments.
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Have you ever cried at a random moment and later realized that there was a reason?
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Or are you still trying to figure it out?
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And would you want us to make that follow-up video on sudden anger that feels just as confusing?
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Thank you for your endless support.
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We really do read your comments, even the ones you think we might miss.
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And seeing how many of you really open up about moments like this makes this space incredibly real.
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And we're so grateful for that.
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We've been thinking about making more videos like this, ones that help you understand your emotions in the moment
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and possibly expanding our guided meditation series to support emotional release and regulation.
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Let us know what you think.
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And a huge thank you to everyone who joined our Art Profile Picture Contest on the 18th.
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We're thinking of running more contests and prizes around the world, so give us a few suggestions and we'll see which is possible.
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If you feel like hanging out a little longer, let us know which video you end up on next.
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Leave a comment there and let us know that you came from here.
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Until next time, take care.
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This video has 80 sentences and 996 words to shadow. The speech runs for 5:50. The speaker talks at a natural 171 words per minute, close to everyday conversation. 88% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is easy to follow.
Key vocabulary in this video
15 less common words from the video, with pronunciation and meaning:
- emotion /ɪˈməʊ.ʃən/ (noun) — A person's internal state of being and involuntary physiological response to an object or a situation, based on or tied to physical state and sensory data.
- layer /ˈleɪ̯ɚ/ (noun) — A single thickness of some material covering a surface.
- react /ɹiːˈækt/ (verb) — To act in response.
- anger /ˈæŋɡə/ (noun) — A strong and unpleasant feeling of displeasure, hostility, or antagonism, usually combined with an urge to yell, curse, damage or destroy things, or harm…
- nowhere /ˈnoʊ.(h)wɛɹ/ (adverb) — In no place.
- sudden /ˈsʌd.ən/ (adjective) — Occurring quickly with little or no warning or expectation; instantly.
- explore /ɪkˈsploɹ/ (verb) — To examine or investigate something systematically.
- trigger /ˈtɹɪɡɚ/ (noun) — A finger-operated lever used to fire a gun.
- tension /ˈtɛnʃən/ (noun) — The condition of being held in a state between two or more forces, which are acting in opposition to each other.
- shelf /ʃɛlf/ (noun) — A flat, rigid structure, fixed at right angles to a wall or forming a part of a cabinet, desk, etc., and used to display, store, or support objects.
- confuse /kənˈfjuːz/ (verb) — to puzzle, perplex, baffle, bewilder (somebody); to afflict by being complicated, contradictory, or otherwise difficult to understand
- tighten /ˈtaɪ.tən/ (verb) — To make tighter.
- confused /kənˈfjuːzd/ (adjective) — unable to think clearly or understand
- anxiety /æŋˈzaɪ.əti/ (noun) — An unpleasant state of mental uneasiness, nervousness, apprehension and obsession or concern about some uncertain event.
- lately /ˈleɪt.li/ (adverb) — Recently; not long ago; of late; not long since.
Phrasal verbs you will hear
- come up (verb) — To emerge or become known, especially unexpectedly.
- figure out (verb) — To come to understand; to discover or find a solution; to deduce.
- show up (verb) — To appear, arrive, or attend, especially suddenly or erratically.
- bring up (verb) — To mention.
- catch up (verb) — To pick up suddenly.
- come from (verb) — To have as one's origin, birthplace or nationality.
- follow up (verb) — To take further actions remaining after an event; to continue, revisit, or persist; especially, to maintain communication or verify.
- get through /ɡɛt ˈθɹu/ (verb) — To overcome; to endure.
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 36 contractions and reduced forms, such as you're, don't, doesn't. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: emotion /ɪˈməʊ.ʃən/, tension /ˈtɛnʃən/, shelf /ʃɛlf/, regulation /ˌɹɛɡjʊˈleɪʃən/, suggestion /səˈd͡ʒɛst.ʃən/
- Long words — get the stress right: anxiety /æŋˈzaɪ.əti/, incredibly /ɪŋˈkɹɛdɪbli/, regulation /ˌɹɛɡjʊˈleɪʃən/, unexpected /ʌnɪkˈspɛktɪd/, disappointment /ˌdɪsəˈpɔɪntmənt/
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 emotion, layer, react.
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 | that's been waiting · You've been holding · We've been thinking |
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | Have you ever started · you've experienced · Have you ever cried |
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | might be overwhelmed · they've been delayed |
| Relative clauses who / which + clause — extra information about a person or thing | People who are · everyone who joined |
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.