Language Anxiety is real

Language Anxiety:

A Common Companion 

Language anxiety is real 😩. Speaking a language other than your native one puts us into unfamiliar, often unpredictable, and vulnerable positions. It can make you feel inadequate, hesitant and fearful. You can prepare all you want, but there will always be some things that you just don’t know could come your way. Naturally, our brains assess these feelings and this type of situation as dangerous, which leads us to LANGUAGE ANXIETY! Watch this instagram live with psychologist Melina Mora where we talk about just how normal this feeling is.

Believe it or not, this feeling is not exclusive to learning a new language. You have probably experienced language anxiety on some level even in your native language. Think about a time in the past when you knew you had to call to order a pizza or speak in front of a large audience in your native tongue. Most likely, you prepared yourself mentally, rehearsed what you were going to say, and maybe even felt a little anxious beforehand. You were anxious because this is language anxiety at play!! That's right – the same anxiety you experience in language learning is not so different from what you might feel when navigating everyday tasks 🤦‍♀️. Not being able to predict the outcome, a response or if someone will understand you exists in lots of situations no matter the language. So this feeling of anxiousness is a natural response to the unfamiliar.

Watch this instagram live again with the psychologist, Melina Mora,  where we talk about practical ways to manage this anxiety.

(But not how to “cure” it!)

There is no magic one-size-fits-all solution for this. Sometimes you just have to feel the anxiety, recognize the discomfort and keep going. Other times, you can ease your nerves a little by preparing as much as possible in advance.  But you always have to know that this feeling is normal and try not to let it stop you.

So, the next time you feel those butterflies in your stomach before a conversation in a language other than your native one, remind yourself that IT’S OKAY! Laugh a little when you make a mistake, ask questions if you’re unsure and every time you try you are doing exactly what you should be doing! 

Keep going… you got this!!!! 👏💪