Fight depression by learning languages

And today I wanted to take a moment to talk about depression and language learning and depression. And I wanted to give some reasons why I think language learning is a great weapon against depression, and also I'm going to give some actionable tips if you are suffering from depression or a similar ailment, let's call it, you know, being depressed is not only reduced to the clinical depression. You can also have other sort of problems or injuries that mean that you have very little energy and essentially you'll be living in that sort of depressed lifestyle.

So, today's episode is very personal. I'm going to be also sharing a little bit of my own story. And although I have told most of the story in fragments around the place, I I don't think I've ever quite told just exactly what happened, and I'm going to get into that today. So, as always with these solo episodes, you know, if you're not too interested in the topic of the day or indeed, you know, my story, which I can totally understand, then you might want to wait for the next episode, which will be, you know, back to normal, talking about language learning methods and experiences and trying to motivate and inspire as per usual. But this week, I just wanted to talk about depression.

And it's not because I feel particularly depressed this week. And it's kind of funny to say it that way, but I honestly believe that everyone has their ups and downs, and if you suffer suffered from what they call depression, then those ups and downs are more expressed, meaning that the highs can seem higher and the lows can seem a lot lower. Uh probably more the second part of that statement. And of course, you go into something like bipolarity, which is extreme mania highs and then extreme lows as well. But that's a whole different story, and not something that I'm suffering from, as far as I know.

You know, all these mental issues or diagnosis are also the the lines between them are so gray that it's tough to find out when you're just feeling like crap and when you actually have a clinical depression. But either way, I'm just going to talk about it today based on my own experience, and I'm going to give some some tips and tricks that helped me, and hopefully it will help you if you're suffering from depression. And if you're just interested in the topic, or if you have friends who might be suffering from it, then hopefully you can pass on the information.

And just a little bit of backstory. The actual fluency blog has been featuring more and more talks about the topic of depression lately, because I'm sort of realizing that this is the power that I can bring, you know, this is my personal experience. It's not about winning every time in language learning. Every time you post a blog post, you don't have to indicate how many words you learned in a week or, you know, how many languages you learned in a year. You know, sometimes it just doesn't work out, and you feel like crap, and then you're like, why does no one else feel this way?

And so I started to sort of post my experiences first of all in the email club. I thought that was a safer place to start. And actually, if you're not in the email club, I highly recommend it because that's that's where I do go and and send these messages first. And uh thank you so much if you are in the club. I really appreciate it, and I hope you enjoy the emails that I've been sending so far.

Um but yeah, so it's taking me over two years to sort of get to a point where I'm comfortable talking about personal problems like this. I mean, it's tough to put yourself out there for one, but also, secondly, I I didn't know what people would think of me if I if I just, you know, made the depressedlanguagelerner.com. Um but then I realized, you know, there are a lot of people who feel the same out there in the world, and if I can sort of empower them, I would be super happy, you know, if I could make a difference in other people's lives. So, that's what I'm going to do today, hopefully.

And and as I said, you know, if you're not interested in this topic, which I totally understand, you know, if you've never had that problem before, then it makes sense that you want to just keep on trucking, you know, if you don't have a any any problems. But a lot of people do. I think it was I read somewhere there was about one in third uh one in three people at some point during their life will suffer from depression. So, that's a pretty serious number.

Anyway, so, without further ado, I think a little bit of backstory, or a little further backstory, is is required here. So, in the email club, I gave the story, and I also in my free ebook, um polyglot beginnings, I gave my story as well, but I just wanted to I haven't really told it in in depth here on the podcast for you guys. So I just wanted to take a moment and do that.

So, my experience with depression starts a long time ago. I think thinking back, I've probably been suffering from depression for a lot longer than I thought. But it's tough to identify, and it's tough to admit get yourself to admit that you're actually depressed and not just, you know, feeling bad. So, for me, the story probably starts about 2002, which is 14 years ago.

And here I was living a normal life. Some might even say the American dream. I had a lovely family, uh two parents, uh and a sister. We were living in Suburbia, actually a suburb of a smaller city outside Copenhagen, quite a while outside Copenhagen, but whenever people ask me where I'm from, I always say outside Copenhagen because that's the only place people usually know in Denmark. But I grew up very uh I had a very safe and very nice childhood up to about that age. And I believe I was about 12 or something like that, uh 12 or 13.

And then when we're doing this fantastic family upbringing, you know, we have a big house, a dog, a car, all this American dream stuff, really. And then one day, I find out that my dog has bone cancer, and that she's going to be put down almost immediately. And apparently, the suffering was too much for for the vet to even consider bringing her home for a last goodbye. So I never said goodbye to her really. And I really love that dog. If if anyone's been uh if anyone's been brought up with a dog from your earliest years, then you might understand that if you grow up with a dog, then that beast will just love you forever unconditionally. And when you lose that as a 12-year-old or whatever, it's just really tough, anyway. And sometimes I I think it's actually harder than losing a a relative or something. But, you know, that's a a different story.

But anyway, that's where it started, I think. Like I said, it's everything's a little bit foggy and it's a little bit tough to separate where everything started. But then, so that I didn't deal very well with the grief, and my family didn't deal very well with the grief either. And, you know, I just I was just very miserable about my the loss of a a really good friend, uh some someone who's who'd been there from the beginning, basically, as as long as I can remember.

And then a year after, the American dream in Denmark is the bubble is burst by my parents announcing their separation. And, you know, this is a very common thing today. I saw multiple divorces in my class, uh some of my classmates. So it wasn't a completely foreign concept, but I just I was living in this dream world, this bubble, and I wasn't seeing the warning signs, uh for instance, my mom was using the other bathroom. You know, these small things. I was just not realizing the what was happening. And, um that's the reason that it came as a quite a shock to me, like a bombshell really, because I thought we had this dream life and this, you know, I think they call it nuclear uh family nowadays.

And so, that really hurt me as well. And my school teachers were really supportive at this period, but I didn't I was not old enough or emotionally mature enough to realize how how much it it was affecting me. So, when the teacher was like, are you okay? I just said, of course. And it was kind of the how I dealt with emotional stress back then. It's just like try to ignore it, play video games over it, you know, distract yourself basically from from the the grief. And it it did hit me pretty hard that my parents were separating.

And then I made a somewhat dubious decision to move in with my mom. I mean, not nothing against any of them. But, you know, I I made the decision to move in with my mom because it was closer to my school, which seems very practical, but I think as a 12-year-old or whatever, you could I could have just stayed in the family house and that would have been good fun, and I would have been able to spend more time with my dad. But anyway, of course, post-event regret is is never really that useful.

But anyway, so, in the apartment that we move into uh the following year, there is a a huge fire, basically. Uh I'd come home from work, and my my mom had hung up some shirts to dry in my room, and for some reason, one of the lamps I don't know exactly what happened, but I think a shirt caught fire on a really hot lamp. And I was in another room, and I just remember the smoke coming in, and it was really scary, and it it's insane how fast an apartment fills with smoke after it catches fire.

Um but anyway, that was obviously very traumatic, and it was my room as well. So, it didn't touch me as much affect me as much in the on the night itself. But when I came home, or came into the room, uh I don't remember if it was the next day or the day after, it was really, really shocking because all my life, all my possessions were just melted over each other and like, I didn't even remember what I had in that room because it was all turned into this charred mush, basically. Even the TV had melted. So, that was very traumatic, and it caused us to have to move into like temporary housing, which was awful. We lived in like, um one of those huts in a camping a campsite. Uh we lived in like a one room somewhere in a in an apartment building, and it was just a really bad time. And I was working full-time in a supermarket at this time. So, at least I had a job to distract me a little bit.

And then in uh in the middle of that year, 2004, the the real bombshell falls and and I find out that my dad has passed away um due to his deceit, his illness of epilepsy. And a lot of people ask, well, how do you die of epilepsy, right? And I think that's a a totally viable valid question. And the thing is, when you have epilepsy, you get seizures, and unless you control them with medicine, and even then, you can still have seizures. But normally, they're pretty harmless, but the problem is sometimes you can end up in a in a position where your airway is restricted, and effectively choking yourself. And obviously, you have no control during these seizures. So, if it happens when you're alone, you know, you can it can it can kill you basically, and that's that's what happened.

And it hit me really hard. Like, I really my dad was a great person. Um loved us all unconditionally, and, you know, losing him was was really tough. And I think that's when it took a real turn for the worse. And again, my teachers were supportive. They came and they said, are you okay? And and we know you've moved on from the school, but what if you came back and took the extra year? In Denmark, you only have to do nine years of school, but you can do 10 if you feel like the, you know, you're not ready for it. And I I kind of felt ready academically, but I I think the extra year that they offered, and, you know, this was a class that had a huge waiting list. So, for them to offer that was actually pretty cool, and then and I appreciate that. So I went back to to elementary school and tried to take the mind off things, and that kind of helped.

And that's basically the the story of or the backstory at least, how I I came to be who I am today. And between 2005 and 2000 let's say 12, 13, it was just getting worse, or at least it wasn't getting any better. I was just just depressed, basically. And I was also in denial about that, because I felt I felt fine, I thought, but then on reflection, I wasn't really that functional. I could keep a job, and and that's about it. I could play video games all day, but I mean, that doesn't really take anything. Also gaining a lot of weight at that time, uh just comfort eating, trying to take my mind off things.

So, this is what leads me up to 2013, when I discovered the online polyglot community. And I I I saw that as kind of an escape. And, um it was interesting because it's been a very tumultuous life so far. But realizing that I actually had a passion for languages back in in the early days of my school, I really enjoyed languages in in lower elementary school. And after the seventh grade, when everything started to go tits up, I just didn't I lost my passion for all of school, including languages. So, it's always a little bit sad to look back and imagine what I could how much uh more I could have done with languages if if all these tragic events hadn't happened. But, you know, you can you shouldn't cry over spilt milk. So, what I can only do is is move forward, and I discovered the polyglot community, and I decided, you know, I need to take my languages back, take back my learning, and that way that's going to be a path of life.

And I truly believe that languages can do that for you, and I'm going to get into uh some specific tips and tricks in a second, and also some of my experience of learning languages while depressed. And I always say, or at least nowadays I say like, I have been suffering from depression. I think it still comes back to haunt you once in a while. I think once you're in that deep of a clinical depression at some point in your life, it's not something that just magically disappears, and a lot of people need to you need medication. I didn't. I tried it, and it just it didn't help my mood or my how I was feeling. But it didn't make me very tired and very it made it worse, basically. And that can happen with regards to medicine, and you need to keep increasing the dose to see what's happening. And to me, I just kind of lost control.

But of course, I'm not a doctor. So, if you are depressed or suffering from depression, or you're sitting out there and you're feeling very alone, the first step is always to talk to your doctor, because that's that's what they're there for, basically. They're not only there for fixing your bruised knees or your broken arms. I mean, they're there for your mental health as well. And they're the first stop. So, they can get you the help you need.

And if you're, you know, in a really bad space, in a really bad space mentally, talking to people is huge. Like, when I started talking to people, some of my friends, it changed everything. And I haven't it hadn't it hasn't been so bad for me that I needed to call hotlines or anything, but, you know, if you feel really bad, there are lots of hotlines out there, and you can talk to people, and you have you don't have to I mean, you can be completely anonymous, and it's just so we don't lose people to depression. That would be very sad, I think.

Um So, that's why I got into language learning. It was sort of a it was finding a purpose. And that leads me very nicely into the why I think language learning is a great weapon or tool against depression. The first thing is it can give you a purpose, because when you're depressed, and you're really down, and you're sitting at home, and you don't know what to do with your life, languages can really be a purpose in many ways. First of all, it gives you a task or a job, or it gives you something that you can track your progress in. And if you make progress, then your mind will also start changing its negative thought patterns.

So, for instance, when I saw somebody like Benny Lewis travel the world and learning all these languages, I was like, wow, I want to travel and learn languages, meet people, and and do all these things. And that became a goal. And once you have a goal, you're much more motivated to actually work on whatever it is you want to work on. And for me, I just saw I instantly visioned envisioned that future where I could just travel everywhere, speak 10 languages, you know, and and of course, it's when you're just starting out, it seems like a fairy tale, but now that I've I'm a few years into it, not that I've made it much closer to the 10 languages that I've planned in 10 years, um I still feel like now it can be done. It can definitely be done, and I've made great progress both mentally but also linguistically, I guess you can say. So it's it's it's a great way to get a purpose, and you can sort of make it your life's challenge. That's what I did, anyway, because I I think it's a good way to to like I said, keep focused on a goal. Goal-oriented life is amazing.

The other benefit is that it distracts you from negative thinking. If you've ever find found yourself in a bad mental state, you'll realize that your brain will sort of default to negative thinking, destructive thinking even. I mean, some people hurt themselves to uh try and cover up the mental pain. Uh sadly, some people take their own lives. Um but the point is that when you have good things happening in your life, it really distracts and replaces the negative the negative things that are happen happening, the negative thinking, the negative thought patterns, the destructiveness that can come with it. So, although I was never really that negative, for me, it was always like, I was just really slow, or I didn't really do much, and so it wasn't I it was never destructive or anything, but you can definitely be you can think destructive thoughts and negative thoughts that that bring down your self-worth and confidence levels. So, it's a good distraction, and it's a positive impact on yourself.

Another good thing is that it keeps your brain active. So, something like one of the problems with depression, people I've I've I've read is that you're not getting some it's a chemical imbalance, basically. That's what they say. Uh some some kind of drug in your brain that I'm not a doctor, as you can tell. Uh and I haven't studied it too much. But basically, it's a it's a it's a chemical imbalance that's causing your your mood to be less than optimal, which causes a chain reaction, and blah blah blah. But you can you can do things to increase the the good drugs. Like light, for instance. When you're depressed, you might find yourself staying inside a lot. And that means that you get less sunlight, which contains something like vitamin D, which is is said to be quite useful. I I supplemented this during winter, actually, and it does help. And you can buy it in tablet form at your pharmacy, or I guess some supermarkets might even have it. And that's one one benefit. But it also the fact that you can learn something is keeping your brain active, and it's also increasing these drugs, the happy drugs in your brain. Like, when you when you remember that Russian word after having studied it for months, and you finally whip it out in a Russian conversation, that sense of achievement can definitely change the chemical composition of your brain to the for the better. And also, just it makes you feel better, right?

And this goes hand in hand with my other my next why is is it makes you feel better. And it's it's a combination of self-worth and also confidence, because the self-worth is at an all-time low when you're suffering from depression. But if you can learn more languages, if you can suddenly speak in more languages, then people will just appreciate you more. And it it might sound like a bit of vanity, and I I I sometimes I I talk about this topic of vanity, and I think you shouldn't learn languages for that reason alone. But there is no doubt that if you go to out to some strangers, and they and you you say that you're a language learner on a hobby basis, and if you say you speak 10 languages, I bet you they're going to be really impressed with you. And this is like a shallow thing, right? I mean, it doesn't matter how many languages you speak really, but your self-worth is going to shoot up because you're like, I achieved something. I increased my skills. I can now talk to more people. So, the increased self-worth and confidence definitely comes with it.

Now, confidence is a is a is a tough one. I I definitely have very uh varying forms of confidence, but my confidence has definitely gotten better since learning languages and getting into this whole language community. Of course, also doing these podcasts, people writing me saying, hey, Chris, I love this episode. I love how you talk about these topics. And, you know, for me, if you asked me to do this episode a year ago or, well, maybe a year ago, I would still have done it, but, you know, two, three years ago, I would be like, are you crazy? Put out an an episode of half an hour, 45 minutes of me just talking about depression? How much how much uh, you know, tragic events have happened in my life? I would have said you're crazy. But languages essentially put me on that path. Like, they they didn't do it exclusively, but they the thinking and the community helped me to realize my own confidence, my own potential. So, that also goes hand in hand with the next why, which is socializing.

And another problem that you might find you have if if you're suffering from depression or or similar, um problems is that you don't socialize very much because you tend to go into this this hermit mode. And I certainly did. I would say I think I was lucky that I had video games. And I've heard other people say this, thank God for World of Warcraft. Uh because it does give you some sense of socializing. It's not the real thing, and but it does feel that way sometimes. And I think our brains definitely have have a tough time distinguishing because when you play RPGs and you level up a character, and you talk to the same people over voice chat every day for like eight, 12 hours, even if it's like a 40-year-old woman from Essex, England, you know, you get to sort of socialize in a way. It's virtual, but it does help.

Um so, but even more so, the language learning community means that you're you're much more likely to socialize in real life. And not that games aren't real life, but you know what I mean. You know, you can go to all these gatherings, you can go to the conferences, workshops, meetups, everything. And you have this thing in common. Like, can you imagine going to, I don't know, singles night somewhere? I I mean, I I would be quite scared of that. But if you went to like, language night, talk about learning languages, suddenly something you're interested in, it's just much easier to go. And after you've gone to one event, your life is going to be changed forever. Mine was. When I went to the polyglot gathering in Berlin in 2014, I wrote a 10,000-word trip report because I was so over the moon about it. I was very anxious to to go because I didn't know what to expect. But the language learning community is so supportive, they're so amazing people and so like-minded. You know, you don't have to explain yourself. I mean, why are you learning Hungarian? Why are you learning Sami or you know, people just understand it, and it's like you're you're meeting with your family. And once you've done that once, you're like, okay, how many polyglot events can I go to this year? And I I if you're listening out there, I know some of you guys, you go to every single event, and this is the this is also kind of a drug feel because you get the high from just talking to friends and and comparing notes and listening to motivating speakers and stuff like that. So, socializing gets much easier, and if you socialize, it also brings up the other points that I talked about. It distracts, it keeps your brain active, it improves your self-worth, and, you know, you get out the the the basement if that's where you you spent most of your time. So, these are some of the whys that language learning really helps against depression.

And like I said, I'm not totally convinced that you can cure depression. I've definitely not seen that before. I think it's about managing it and realizing that once you are improving your life and yourself, the depression is going to going to really reduce and reduce and reduce. But you'll still have days that are worse than others. But then again, isn't that normal? You know, you got the Monday blues. I mean, we can have that without being clinically depressed, right?

The final point about why learning languages is a good tool against depression is the traveling. And this is tied in with the socializing as well, but traveling and learning other about other cultures is a really great way of opening up your mind, uh opening your horizon to new ideas. And if you get new ideas, that goes with the other tips, like distraction, and purpose, and keeping the brain active, and it's just a great way to spend your time, basically, because for the last 25 years out of my 28 years, I traveled less than five times, I think. And or or let's say I traveled once outside of Europe when I was like eight. I mean, how crazy is that? And now, in the last two years since I started learning languages, I've traveled, I've I've I've flown with a plane so many times, I don't remember. I went to America. You know, this these are things that when you're sitting at home depressed, broke, uh playing video games, you couldn't imagine leaving the city. And suddenly I was in Manhattan. And, you know, I'm not trying to I'm not trying to turn my story into a a complete success story. I think it is. But I'm not trying to say that everything I've done is amazing. And, uh, you know, I'm not trying to toot my own horn here. I'm simply trying to promote the idea that language learning is a great way to improve depressed states. So, for traveling, it's really awesome, and I love it, and it, you know, just get you out the door again. It's it's funny how all these are connected.

Okay, so I I spent some time explaining how why I think that language learning is a great tool or weapon against depression or similar problems. And now I'd like to take a few minutes to talk about the my experience learning languages with suffering from depression. The first thing you want to know is that you're not going to perform as well as most people who are reporting their achievements. And there is two good reasons for this. The first reason is that people are much more likely to report wins than they are losses. So, if I learned 1,000 Russian verbs in a month, I'm much more likely to put that on my blog than something like I failed to complete the first lesson in Duolingo in two weeks. So, the picture we get from the bloggers and podcasters online, and I'm definitely also guilty about this, is a very positive and very, probably exaggerated figure of achievements. And some people are truly amazing, like don't get me wrong.

Um somebody like Benny who who learns the languages to a pretty good level in during three months. I mean, some people are like, that's not possible to learn a language in three months. But obviously, Benny's doing it because he's working his ass off those three months. And it can be done, but what you don't want is to compare yourself too much to stuff like this, you know, uh someone like Benny. And, you know, you can use them as inspiration, which I think a lot of people have done. But when you're suffering from depression or similar problems, you just can't perform at that level that's required to make really amazing results. Like, I totally believe that you can make it happen down the line. I definitely think that I'm learning languages better now than when I started, but if I keep comparing myself to people who are killing it online, language learning, like really exceptional language learners, I'm going to be quite depressed ironically.

Um so that's what my number one advice would be, just take it easy, because slow and steady wins the race, and that's no joke. If you take it easy, and don't put like super crazy deadlines like learn a language in three months or uh well, even longer is still pretty unrealistic for most people. And just say, you know what, I'm just going to learn French, and if it takes me two years, so be it. I'm going to have fun doing it. I'm going to do it in my tempo. I'm going to, you know, be sure I learn it well and thoroughly. And that's how I want to learn. Don't be influenced by all these sometimes they're also these ads for some software programs, you know, learn a language in a month or something like that. So, just take it easy, take your time, and again, slow and steady wins the race.

And take breaks whenever you need to is another tip. I'm taking a ton of breaks in my language learning. And this is because I'm sort of my learner profile is very binge, uh I guess you can call it. I, you know, I I'll I'll struggle to do a daily learning routine, but then I'll do like 10 hours in two days. And then I'll be like, oh, crap, I'm burned out. So then I take two weeks off. You know, it's a terrible way of learning, but I don't worry about things like that. I I do whatever I feel like doing. And if I the moment I start to put unrealistic expectations on my own learning, that's when I start failing completely, and that's that's when I start not enjoying it, and that's when I start again becoming depressed, because you're suddenly thinking, oh, I should be much further in my Russian. Why don't I speak Hungarian yet? It's been six months. You know, it's not productive to think about what could have been when you're suffering from depression. You've got enough on your mind to also worry about learning a language in three months. So, I would just say, take it easy, slow and steady wins the race, take breaks whenever you need to, and avoid comparing yourself to others too much.

The other really beneficial tips, I guess you can call it, that I've taken advantage of is the external accountability. So, I've got this blog, actual fluency, with a podcast that you're listening to right now. And that gives me external accountability to not only learn languages, but also talk about learning languages. Because if I wrote a blog post every week, which I do now, and every week it was like, yeah, I didn't do anything this week. I mean, at some point my brain's going to be like, Chris, you're running a language learning blog. You should do some language learning so you can tell your readers how it's been, or how it's going, or what's happening. And eventually, you're just going to learn based on that. So, external accountability is huge if you can find any way of making that happen.

Uh some ideas are, you can get a study partner, you can join the add one challenge. Look it up. Uh and you can blog, you can podcast, you can make YouTube videos. There are even websites that will give you external accountability. A funny one is I I forget the name of it. I'm sure you can find it. Uh there is one where you set your goals. And if you fail your goals, the website will make a contribution to something you really hate. So, if you're a Bernie Sanders fan, and you miss your goals, then they will make a donation to Hillary Clinton's campaign with your credit card. So, that's a really funny way of uh of getting some external accountability. Uh just uh you don't want to do that. But you can find friends, you can language exchanges, add one challenges. All all like this.

Uh one one thing I also use was uh tutoring, Skype tutoring, one-on-one. Because the great thing about tutoring is that you are so focused for the hour that you paid. Like, you're sitting with your teacher, the teacher has your undivided attention, you're improving your language. And not only that, the other benefit is that once you've done a tutoring session, you want to learn something so you're better the next time. Because there's nothing worse than doing two tutoring lessons in a row without doing anything in between, because then you feel like you feel guilty almost for not having done having not improved your your level. So, that's what I would do, you know, get external accountability. Also because when you book a tutoring lesson, that's a fixed in your calendar. You can't procrastinate when the time comes. I have done that. I have to be honest, you know, there have there has been times where I had a tutoring lesson, maybe an hour later, and I was really tired because I hadn't slept very well. Or I just didn't feel like it. Sometimes when you're depressed, you just don't feel like doing stuff. And I had to cancel. But most of the time, I don't. And most of the time, I did a lot a lot more learning than I would have on my own.

So, again, this kind of ties into the why's where it's about bringing going out of being alone, like socialize, language exchange, accountability partners. All these things really help you learn a language better, and it really helps your depression, too. So it's like win-win, right?

And, um I also really want to underline the idea of don't worry. Really, just don't worry. And I think every I think there's a this is a tip that goes for every language learner. Because people constantly worry about stuff, and it's actually annoying to to watch, because there is no not nothing to worry about. Yeah, okay, you didn't learn French in a week. Who cares? You're going to learn it eventually if you just keep doing it. So, you said the wrong word. Don't worry about it. So you still don't understand Russian grammar. I don't. I've been studying the language on and off for two years. I don't understand everything. If you ask a Russian native speaker, they probably couldn't explain you the grammar or understand how everything is used. So, don't worry about it. Honestly, you'll be fine. I know you will. I know who the type of people who listen to this podcast, who listen to the end of this podcast, and you are amazing people. You're an amazing person, because you realize the value of learning languages. You realize the value of listening to this for your weekly dose of motivation and inspiration. You are great, and you will do great. So, that's that's all for me, basically. Don't worry. But don't worry, be happy almost. Yeah, it it's true, though. It's true, though. If you don't worry, you're usually much more happy.

So, this is the this is kind of the end of the the podcast episode. This is a I must say, it's a really unusual one. And I I when I was doing it initially, I thought it was a great idea. And halfway through, I was really uncertain that I was going to put it out. I was like, uh maybe I should just put it out, you know, to the email list, and just put it out as an undercover episode. But honestly, I just have to put it out, and there is a really good chance that you listening to this, or at least half of you guys listening to this, will be like, what what the what is this crap episode? But I hope that the the other half who really enjoy this episode will get something out of it that's beneficial to your daily life. Basically.

And I really understand that some people might not really care for this kind of content, or that they didn't find it enjoyable. And the topic itself is kind of heavy, you know, oh, that's heavy dark, right? Wait, it's got nothing to do with it. But, you know what I mean, it's it's a heavy topic, but I feel like it needs to be addressed. And ever since I started talking about depression, I I feel better. I feel stronger. I feel more confident. And if you read the blog posts, the the difference is night and day. This is something that I truly believe in, and this is what I the ideas that I want to spread, that you're not alone, and you're an amazing person, and if you keep working at it, and never give up, you will do amazing things too. And together we have all the potential in the world. That's the cool thing. Honestly, we live in a a time and a place of unlimited potential. You can learn 10 languages in 10 years if you want to. No doubt about it. That's what I'm going to do, and I'm confident. Two years ago, I wouldn't be confident, but now I'm pretty confident about it. I can do it, and you are helping me to do it as well. Because this show doesn't work one way, you know.

And finally, the uh of course, the disclaimer. Seriously, if you need help, uh please talk to someone. The doctor is the first stop. And if you just want someone to talk to, there are also services for this, and you can also email me, chris@actualfluency.com. Be happy to to, you know, bounce some ideas back and forth. And other than that, you know, just don't be alone. I think that's the key, you know, talk about it, do something about it, and we can really make some amazing things happen.

And I just uh another announcement, I have to uh just quickly pitch my Patreon because I'm doing a really bad job of that. Uh but I'm started a Patreon to support this podcast. And the reason is, well, I'm doing all of these interviews without ads or any kind of stuff. I I tried that in the past, and I didn't really like how it was affecting the quality of each episode. I I don't like ads myself, so I thought it was a little bit hypocritical to try and and add them. They weren't that annoying, but still they weren't really beneficial either, so I I cut them out. And I thought, you know, why not give people a chance to support with whatever they feel like, and that's what Patreon does. It's kind of like the old-school patronage where a sort of a king or a regal person would pay for a writer or a jester or whatever, and they the they would be a patron of of whatever uh arts. Could be opera as well or any kind of of arts. So, if if you're interested in helping out the podcast and the development, and if you believe in what I'm doing is is valuable, then the URL is actualfluency.com/support. And it really means a lot to me, and it really helps me to produce more stuff like this, uh which I think can make a difference, a true difference in in people's lives. And if you know someone who's suffering from depression and could use the the tips and tricks that I've laid out in this episode, don't hesitate to share it with them. Also, I really appreciate that, too. The the more people I can reach, the more people can get the the help and assistance to to a better future. I have to be careful not to sound too much like a politician, uh although yeah, maybe that's uh that train that ship has sailed uh a long time ago.

But anyway, I just want to thank you so much for listening to this episode. I really appreciate it. I love it, and it's been tough to do, but I hope that you enjoy it, and give me a comment or an email or whatever, let me know what you think. And I'm looking forward to hearing the 50% of people who really enjoy it, and the 50% who are like, uh I'll see you. And just also the next week, there won't be an episode because I'm traveling in England. Sometimes I can record these episodes up front, but due to some, let's say, Hungarian bureaucracy, I've been a little bit preoccupied this week, and I haven't been able to record an episode two weeks in front, or two weeks ahead of the schedule. So, there won't be an episode next week, but I hope you will live, and I look forward to the uh two weeks' time, when I can bring back a a regular regular programming can return. So, thank you so much for listening, and see you around. Thank you for listening to the actual fluency podcast.