Take the pressure down

“I didn’t quite get that last grammar point, I guess I’ll have to do more English study this weekend.”

“I’ll speak English more when I’ve reached advanced level. Not now, I’m not good enough.”

“I’m just not making the progress I want to make. Damn, when will this ever end..”

Do you put a lot of pressure on yourself? If so, how is that working for you?

Sometimes the answer to feeling stressed about your English fluency or your overall English communication skills is to give yourself a break. Take a week or so from having lessons, and see how that makes you feel. Maybe even a month will do wonders for you.

As much as we teachers love to have students and see progress being made, it’s important for you to relax too sometimes. Don’t put so much pressure on yourself.

Chill out.

Finding your balance

And what about creating a healthier balance between having lessons and using the language as part of your everyday life?

If you’re only experiencing English by having lessons with a teacher or by doing an official course, then you’re missing out on the rich, fun and rewarding experiences you can have by meeting new people and developing new relationships in your life beyond the classroom.

The problem with speaking English only through having paid lessons is that deep-down it might mean you’re not yet confident enough to go out into the world and speak English with others. It could also mean you are very busy and only have time for lessons with a teacher, so I’ll leave that for you to decide where you are.

Ultimately, it’s a language and you’re learning English for a reason, right? It’s not just so that you can ‘go through the levels’ from beginner to advanced.

There’s a reason behind all this, isn’t there?!

Get back to why you’re learning English. If you need to, then take an Englishcation, a complete break from English.

Then when you’re ready to get back into it, see what activities you can do – without a teacher – that can help you achieve your goal and make your life richer and more rewarding.

Is the goal really just to improve your English?

Maybe if you take the pressure down a little, you’ll feel more relaxed and be able to make better choices regarding the next steps to take in your English journey.

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