shrews-studies reblogged
Sometimes learning Spanish involves getting burnt out and discouraged and feeling like you're never going to be fluent and staring emoly at the ceiling until you try again
I think this is true for learning any language.
Here's what helps me to shorten the periods of idling and frustration:
- Shorter sessions, 25-30 minutes at a time. (it could be 1, 2 or more sessions a day, but short).
- Switching between tasks more frequently; "Enough of Mandarin today, let's go for a walk and then do Python."
- Switching to different types of materials: I am tired of reading this story, now I'll listen to that song and sing along! Duolingo is making me sick, let's open that workbook and do a number of well-organised grammar exercises
- Procrastinating and browsing the pictures of the country where the target language is spoken; it helps to remember why I am learning that language in the first place.
What are your tips?
- Incorporate your language into your daily routine. Spend a lot of time of social media? Follow people who post in your TL! Listen to a lot of podcasts? Find a podcast in your TL or about learning your TL! Learning how to do some kind of craft? See if you can find a Youtube tutorial in your TL and try to follow along! It really helps combat burnout and improve confidence if you're doing something in your TL just like you would be doing anyways in your native language, instead of blocking out time to do nothing but study.
- Bite-sized practice. Duolingo is great for this - I can do a quickie 3-minute lesson while waiting in line at the grocery store or boiling water for my soup. Even if you're not doing a ton of active learning in these moments, it helps prime your brain to think and work in your TL.
- Take breaks! When I was learning Russian in school, I often found that I would speak better after coming back from a break than I did before leaving. Your brain keeps working and processing information even after you're done studying, just like your muscles keep working to repair and strengthen themselves after you're done working out. Don't stress about taking a day or even a week off to let all of that happen
- Practice with other learners. A lot of language-learning burnout is related to that feeling mentioned above that you'll "never be fluent", and this can be particularly stark after, say, you have a rough time talking to a native speaker or engaging with a more complex piece of media. Talking with people who are at the same level as you or engaging with media that's a little more appropriate for your level - whatever that level may be - can help you realize just how much you can do and improve your confidence! (as an aside, I get this exact same feeling all the time with social dance as well - I dance with an advanced dancer and feel the world crumbling around me, then I dance with a fellow intermediate and feel everything start to glow because it just works better. Part of combating this is just developing your mental strength to cope with feelings of failure and inadequacy, but part of it is also learning how to balance the challenging moments with easier ones)
