Obstacles to learning a language #2: Fear

Okay, so perhaps I should re-phrase the title of this blog post. Fear is not just a big obstacle to learning a language, but to life in general. Everybody feels fear in one way or another. It is part of life. However, for some people, fear can be such a problem that it gets in the way of reaching their goals. This is where fear relates to learning a language and, for me personally, it can be a huge obstacle.

They say that the number one fear people have is a fear of public speaking. I guess that makes sense- if you are functional human being, having to make a presentation, a speech, speak up in a meeting etc. is pretty unavoidable. It is a part of living a social human life. However, it can be a very anxiety-provoking experience. You are centre-stage. You feel like you are being judged. Maybe you ARE being judged. Is your opinion being judged, your appearance, is there something in your teeth?? PANIC!! But, hey, at least you get to speak your native language.

This has always been my personal battle. I have been a performer almost my whole life. I am very used to being on stage. I can sing in front of huge crowds of people. I love teaching. Public speaking, whether rehearsed or made up on the spot, doesn't bother me at all. In English, that is. As soon as I have to switch to my second language, French, I panic. My confidence suddenly vanishes. My perfectionism and anxiety swiftly kicks in. It is particularly annoying and frustrating because I am a language teacher and I feel like I should be a better example to my students. I should be able to push through the fear and just do it anyway. Well, that's the plan!

I recently felt like my learning had stalled and I needed to change things up to get me focused again. I literally needed to learn how to "feel the fear and do it anyway". So, you guessed it, I went out and bought the book  "Feel the fear and do it anyway". I feel slightly annoyed that I hadn't read it ten years ago. Oh, the things I could have achieved!

Anyway, I would just like to share what the author, Susan Jeffers, calls the "Five Truths of Fear":

1. The fear will never go away as long as you continue to grow.
2. The only way to get rid of the fear of doing something is to go out and do it.
3. The only way to feel better about yourself is to go out... and do it.
4. Not only are you going to experience fear whenever you're on unfamiliar territory, so is everyone else.
5. Pushing through fear is less frightening than living with the underlying fear that comes from a feeling of helplessness.

So far, I feel like I have personally made some big improvements to tackling my fear of speaking French in public. I always thought that it made me a poor example for my students, but now I think that it makes me a much more compassionate and understanding teacher. With each other's support, we can absolutely "feel the fear and do it anyway".