🥵 Overcoming "The French Burnout"
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Transcript
Bonjour à tous, hello everyone! Welcome to another member’s only episode of the French Made Easy podcast. Today, we're talking about a topic, a concept, that's not often discussed in the world of French online learning. I’ve called it (very dramatically!): The French Burnout.
So what is the French Burnout? It's that feeling of tiredness, that feeling of frustration, or loss of motivation that can often happen when you're trying to learn French – especially for absolute beginners or those who have been at it for a while without seeing the progress that they hoped for.
If often goes like this:
You're excited to learn French, so you start strong, you’re very passionate about it, you’re learning new words, new phrases, grammar rules, pronunciation rules… you’re on a roll. But then, as time goes on, the initial excitement of learning French starts to go down. And suddenly, it’s all too much. French is too hard, French is too difficult, it’s overwhelming, you don’t have time for it, etc. So you might miss a day of study, you might miss a few days of study, then a week, then months… and suddenly, you're giving up.
Alright, so first things first: It's absolutely okay to feel this way. But what we want to avoid, is the giving up part. We don’t want to get to that point. Sp let's talk about some ways we can overcome this burnout, keep the passion for French going, or if you’ve lost that passion, how to reignite your passion for learning French!
🎯 Set Smaller, Achievable Goals: Wanting to be fluent in three months, (I know there are many people saying that online…) isn't always realistic. Setting smaller, more achievable goals will help you last the distance. I strongly believe that learning French is a marathon, not a sprint. Be proud of every small steps, every small goal you reach, whether it's learning ten new words, learning to conjugate 25 verbs, understanding a sentence in a French film, or being able to order a coffee in French. Each step you take, each goal you reach, is a step toward fluency.
🔄 Switch Up Your Routine: The same study routine every day or every week can sometimes lead to burnout. Try something new, shake things up – try a new app, watch a French movie, or listen to French music. Do something you haven’t done before! By the way, watching French movies, series, listening to music, etc, is still considered as French study. As long as you do something French, that’s all fine! To give you a comparison, I have a favorite French online workout program that I really enjoy (it’s called TrainSweatEat, in case anyone wants to workout and practice their French at the same time), but every now and then, I switch to completely different program, just for a change! And then when I come back, I feel refreshed!
💪 Stay Consistent, But Flexible: I repeat this again and again… but consistency is key when learning French. But so is flexibility! If you're feeling overwhelmed, if you’re suddenly feeling like French is too difficult, it's okay to adjust your study routine. Maybe shorter, more frequent study sessions might work better for you than longer, or infrequent study sessions. It’s about finding a balance that keeps you progressing, that keeps you moving forward, without getting stressed or overwhelmed, without feeling like suddenly learning French is a chore.
🌱 Take a Break, If Needed: It's absolutely okay to take a break from French learning. You have my permission 😹 If you're feeling stuck, stepping away for a little bit can be really, really beneficial. You can recharge. You can recharge your energy. And when you return, you'll often find that you're more focused and you are more willing to learn.
📖 Reflect on Your 'Why': That might sound a bit woohoo. But I want you to remind yourself why you started learning French in the first place. Was it to travel? Was it to connect with your French family or friends better? Was it to enjoy French culture? Take a minute to remember and reconnect with your first motivation, the first reason why you learned French. I think it can really give you a little boost of motivation.
That's all for today’s tips on how to avoid what I call ‘The French Burnout.’ It's completely normal to have ups and downs, when learning French… to face some challenges. But the important thing is how you respond to these challenges. Set realistic goals, mix up your routine, be flexible, take breaks when you need them, and remember why you started to learn French in the first place.
I hope that these little tips help you stay on track, help you stay the course, so you don’t give up on your French. 💖
À bientôt.
xx Mathilde