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Gwen, why does speaking English with native speakers sometimes feel like walking into a lion's den?

Do you feel that way?

I do when I speak Spanish! I totally get that fear of messing up.

It's not all in your head. It's really about perfectionism.

Seriously?

Yep! A study from the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health shows that people who aim for perfection often feel more anxious in social situations.

I get it now! It's like setting the bar so high and then freaking out when you can't reach it.

That's right. When you're already stressed, it's easy to start thinking things like, "What if they don't understand me?" or "What if I say something silly?"

That's where the fear comes from.

That fear is totally normal

But living with it won't help anyone get better at English.

We need to make it part of the journey and just normalize it.

How do you usually normalize your fear?

I write down why I'm scared. What about you?

I just remind myself it's completely normal to be scared of something.

How do you handle the fear of speaking with native speakers?

I used to practice in front of a mirror. I did that when I first started learning Spanish. A little weird, right?

Actually, that's a great idea! Practicing in front of a mirror helps take judgment out of the picture.

Yeah, no one's there to roll their eyes or correct you, so you can just focus on getting your words out and feeling comfortable.

Plus, it helps you get used to hearing your own voice in English. Once that feels normal, speaking to others becomes way easier.

I've got my mirror down. What's next?

Next, we keep it simple. We should pick up a few go-to phrases to use anytime

Like a cheat sheet for conversations. I'm all in! What kind of phrases?

Think about situations you run into a lot, like shopping, asking for directions, or ordering food. Try phrases like, "Excuse me, can you help me?" or "Can you say that again, please?"

Or "What do you mean by that?" That one's perfect when you're stuck but don't want to look clueless.

Exactly! These phrases are like your safety net.

So, I've got my phrases now. I just need to practice, but honestly, talking to strangers still feels a bit scary.

That feeling is totally valid.

What's the move here? What should I do?

Start small, Leo. You don't have to dive into a full conversation right away. Try recording yourself first.

Like, record my voice? Isn't that kind of awkward?

It might feel awkward at first, but trust me, it's super effective.

How is that effective?

When you listen to your recordings, you can catch your pronunciation errors or grammatical mistakes.

I guess hearing my mistakes could help me fix them faster.

Exactly! A study by Horwitz showed that doing something like recording yourself can actually cut down on speaking anxiety.

Seriously? How does that work?