Do the preparation task first. Then listen to the audio and do the exercises.
Preparation
Transcript
Clara: Hi, how are you? I haven't seen you in class for a while.
Ben: Good, thanks. You?
Clara: Great, as long as I don't think too hard about all the essays I have to write this term!
Ben: Yeah …
Clara: Hey, are you OK?
Ben: I have to admit, I'm struggling a bit. Maybe even a lot. I've not been sleeping well at all and then I can't concentrate. And all these things are just going around and around in my head.
Clara: Mmm … that doesn't sound good. So, you're sleeping badly and you can't concentrate. Is that all it is, do you think?
Ben: Well, if I'm honest, it's more than that. I'm starting to dread going outside. I find myself worrying about stupid things like what if I forget the way home. Or, what if I go to class thinking it's Monday but actually it's Friday and I'm in the wrong place at the wrong time. It sounds even more stupid when I say it out loud. It took me two hours to leave the house today.
Clara: It doesn't sound stupid at all. It actually sounds a lot like me last year.
Ben: Really? But you're so together!
Clara: I've learned to be, but even I still have bad days. I used to have panic attacks and everything. When you were trying to leave the house today, how did you feel?
Ben: Like I couldn't breathe. And my heart was going way too fast.
Clara: Hmm … that sounds like a panic attack to me.
Ben: I thought I was going to die.
Clara: You'd be surprised how common they are. Loads of people have them, they just don't talk about it.
Ben: How did you get over them?
Clara: I actually talked to a doctor about it, and you should too. But I learned some practical things as well. Though they're easier said than done, and they're going to sound weird, so hear me out, OK?
Ben: OK …
Clara: So, one thing I did was to try to reduce the power of the anxiety and the panic attacks when they came. So – and this may sound strange – at a time when you're feeling safe and OK, you literally do things that make your heart start racing faster and your breathing speed up. Like spinning around on a chair until you're dizzy or hyperventilating so you're short of breath.
Ben: That sounds awful!
Clara: It is, but it means you get used to the symptoms, so they feel less scary.
Ben: Right.
Clara: Then you have to deliberately do the things that usually make you feel panic. So, if it's going to class on Monday and being scared you've got the wrong day, on Monday you go to class. If you let the anxiety control you by making you stay at home, it just makes it worse the next time you really do have to go out.
Ben: And what did you do if a panic attack came anyway?
Clara: I had a distraction plan. So, I walked everywhere instead of taking the bus because the exercise helped, but also I did things like count trees or red cars or something. Whatever it was didn't matter, as long as I had something else to focus on.
Ben: I can't tell you how much I appreciate this. I thought …
Dear British Council team,
Although I've been listenining the phrase " my heart was going too fast", But I've still listenned that like "going way of us"
Could you show me how to link words in that phrase above
Thanks,
Rose
Hello Rose,
The phrase is spoken with some quite clear pauses, so it's not the most typical way to say it. The first thing is to recognise the stresses parts of the sentence:
my heart was going way too fast
Between these stresses syllables the other words are unstressed: they are quieter and spoken more quickly, as if the speaker were rushing to get to the next stressed syllable. Sometimes the words run together as if they were a single word, and sometimes they connect to the next stressed word, so you end up with something like this:
my heart wasgoing way toofast
A good way to practise this is to use the transcript and try to read it while you listen. Try to match your speed and cadence to the recording. As you try to keep up with the speakers you'll find yourself copying their rhythm.
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
What makes me nervous or anxious?
The only thing that makes me nervous is speaking English. Communicating in English has never been easy for me. Although I understand English well when I listen to a native speaker, no matter how fast they speak, I still struggle with speaking. Similarly, I am very good at reading and writing in English. However, speaking is my main challenge, and that is what causes me anxiety.
Revised Essay with Conclusion and Transitions by AI
What Makes Me Nervous or Anxious?
There are various situations that make me feel nervous or anxious. These are often related to conflictual familial relationships, social interactions, academic and professional meetings, and medical examinations. While these situations differ in nature, they all evoke similar feelings of discomfort and unease.
In families, whether small or extended, there are often individuals who seem to seek conflict. They argue over trivial matters, insist they are always right, and create tension. As soon as they begin to speak, I can predict what will follow: anger, dissatisfaction, and arguments. Being around such individuals makes me feel nervous and anxious, as I dread the negativity they bring.
On another level, social, academic, and professional settings can also be sources of anxiety. Meeting strangers, especially those who are intrusive or overly invasive in their behavior, makes me uncomfortable. However, what makes me most anxious is public speaking. Standing before an auditorium fills me with nervousness, as I fear judgment or making mistakes.
Despite these challenges, I have grown somewhat accustomed to them. Over time, I’ve learned to control my emotions and manage my reactions. However, there is one situation that overwhelms me more than any other: undergoing medical tests. For years, I have been living with a chronic illness that requires regular endoscopic examinations, specifically colonoscopies. The process begins days before the test, with a strict residue-free diet, followed by a colon enema, and finally the procedure itself. While the test is more uncomfortable than painful, lasting between 20 and 30 minutes, the entire experience—from thinking about it, to preparing for it, to undergoing it—feels like a crescendo of fear, nervousness, and anxiety. It is only after taking medication to relax that I feel some relief.
Conclusion:
While these situations evoke nervousness and anxiety, I have learned to face them with resilience. Whether it’s managing familial conflicts, navigating social interactions, or enduring medical tests, I remind myself that these challenges are temporary and that I have the strength to overcome them. Over time, I hope to grow even more confident in handling these anxieties, knowing that each experience helps me build greater emotional strength.
What makes you nervous or anxious?
I always try to control that, but sometimes I can't control feeling nervous about something. For example when I have some interview or important meeting. If I am feeling nervous in some situation I try to breathe slowly and deeply, this is my strategies for calm down.
I feel anxious just thinking about the fact of driving a car. I get nervous and avoid the car, getting another way of going to a place. From time to time I am capable of overcoming my fears and drive the car. Then I feel it's not as bad as I was suffering before.
I have to admit that a few months ago, I found myself too anxious about what other people said about me. It was scary because I couldn't do what I wanted, like talking to others or sharing my opinions in class. I was afraid, and even worse, I didn't want to go out. Although I had to recognize what made me feel anxious, I was able to overcome my fear. Now, I am grateful for all my effort! It wasn't as easy as others might think, but I am cheerful now that I don't have that horrible fear of what people say.
I usually think about the future and I think about situations that I don't have control at all. Then, I feel anxious and need to do an effort to "back to the present" and living the reality.
I also sometimes think about things I can't control in the future.but often, when I face those fears it turns out to be easier than I thought. So, try not to think too much and just relax—sometimes, things aren't as hard as we think.
I usually feel anxious the previous moments the take any kind of test regardless of whether I studied a lot for that test. Also when I'm traveling alone even if I have done that travel many times I feel worried because I start to think about the possibility of being stolen or anything. I always start listening music and deep breathing to control my emotions.