A couple of weeks ago in the UK it was mental health awareness week and this got me thinking about mental health in general and also how learning a language can affect our mental wellbeing.
First of all, what is mental health?
Our mental health is just as important as our physical health and it’s classified as someone’s internal well-being, looking at things like how we think, feel and function both emotionally and socially.
Mental health isn’t just about not having a mental illness. It’s about being able to handle life’s challenges, have healthy relationships and reach our full potential.
In simple terms, when our mental health is good, we feel calm and content, peaceful and accepting of ourselves and others. However when our mental health isn’t good, life feels more difficult. We might feel sad or upset, hopeless or exhausted.
Many things can affect our mental health, like our genetics, experiences or how we cope with stress. Taking care of our mental health involves things like learning positive ways to deal with stress, building good relationships with ourselves and others, looking after our physical health, doing things that make us happy and asking for help when we need it.
What are the benefits that learning a language has on our mental health?
There are many wonderful benefits that learning a language can have on our mental health, above and beyond giving us the skills to communicate in a new language.
Our brain health improves
Learning a language engages our brain and can improve things like our memory, attention, creativity and problem solving skills. As we learn a new language, our brain forms new connections and expands its ability to learn, which in turn helps to keep our mind quick and working well which can boost our mental health. This is especially good for us as we get older, as challenging our brain to make these new connections is an effective workout and can protect against things like dementia in the future.
Improves our self-confidence, resilience and adaptability
Learning a language as an adult pushes us out of our comfort zone, as it requires patience, perseverance and the ability to embrace challenges. Overcoming obstacles, like unfamiliar grammar rules or tricky pronunciation, strengthens our resilience and adaptability, which are important skills, not only in language learning but also in other areas of our lives. As our language skills improve, we will inevitably start feeling a sense of accomplishment from seeing how we have overcome difficulties and this leads to an increase in our self-confidence, self-esteem, resilience and adaptability. This can spill over into other areas of our lives, empowering us to trust and believe in ourselves that we have the ability and strength to tackle new challenges.
We learn more about ourselves and the world around us
Learning a new language, whether that is English, Mandarin or any another language, exposes us to new cultures, traditions and perspectives. By exploring the intricacies of a language, we gain a deeper understanding of the people who speak it and allows us to have meaningful interactions with native speakers and other learners from different countries. As well as providing opportunities to make new friends, it also encourages empathy, broadens our worldview and promotes tolerance. Embracing diversity not only enriches our language skills but it also helps our mental health by cultivating a sense of belonging and friendships with people we might not have otherwise met.
The negative effects that learning a language can have on our mental health
As always however, there are two sides to the same coin and while learning a language can bring many positive benefits to our mental health, it’s also important to look at the negative effects it can have.
Frustration and impatience
From being a language learner myself (I learnt French and German at school and I’m currently learning Mandarin) and from observing my students learning English over the last 12+ years, learning a language can be a frustrating experience.
Learning a language is a complex task that require time, effort, energy and persistence. It’s natural to encounter moments of frustration and impatience when progress seems slow (or when we feel like we’re getting worse!) or when you find it difficult to grasp certain concepts. These negative emotions can affect our mental wellbeing, leading to self-doubt, feelings of inadequacy and even discouragement.
How to overcome this? Patience and self-compassion is key. We need to remind ourselves that language learning is a gradual and sometimes slow process and that setbacks are a normal part of the learning journey. Celebrate small victories, get support from your teacher and other learners and practice self-care to maintain a positive mindset.
Anxiety and performance pressure
Learning a language often means we put ourselves in situations where we feel out of our depth while trying to communicate in a language we are not fluent in. This can cause us to become anxious, especially when we worry about making mistakes, fear being misunderstood or feel embarrassed. For many of the students I’ve taught who were preparing for an exam, the added pressure of achieving a specific score in their exam by a particular time intensified their anxiety levels.
How to overcome this? Focus on progress rather than perfection. Embrace the learning process and see the occasional errors made as a valuable learning experience. Set realistic goals and create a supportive environment that encourages experimentation and risk taking.
Overwhelm and burnout
Sometimes learning a language can feel overwhelming. Juggling the pressure of studying vocabulary, grammar and pronunciation, especially if we are on a strict deadline, on top of our other life commitments may lead to exhaustion and burnout.
How to overcome this? Prioritise self-care and establish a balanced routine. Break down language learning tasks into manageable chunks, having regular breaks and time for relaxation. Set realistic study goals and listen to your body’s signals to prevent burnout. Remember, maintaining a healthy balance between language learning and the other aspects of life are crucial for long term success and mental well-being.
Comparison
This is probably one of the most detrimental things we can do for our mental health while on our language learning journey (and our life journey) because it’s easy to fall into the trap of comparing ourselves to others. When we see other people progressing when it feels like we aren’t making similar progress, this can lead to feelings of inadequacy or self-comparison. These comparisons can erode our self esteem and negatively impact our mental wellbeing.
How to overcome this? Remember that everyone’s language learning journey is unique. It’s important to focus on our own progress and growth rather than comparing ourselves to others. Celebrate each and every achievement, no matter how small and acknowledge that progress comes at different speeds for each individual. Notice what you say to yourself, focus on positive self-talk and surround yourself with supportive people who encourage and uplift you.
Ultimately, learning a language definitely has a knock on effect on our mental health, positively affecting our mental health by helping us to improve our brain condition, improving our confidence and giving us the chance to learn more about ourselves and the world around us.
At the same time, it’s important to make sure we have good strategies to help us through the possible difficulties that learning a language can have on our mental wellbeing, like frustration, anxiety and comparison. By acknowledging and addressing the potential negative that learning a language can have on our mental health, we can navigate the language learning journey more confidently and have a healthier, more positive mindset. Learning a language is not just about gaining language skills, it’s also about nurturing our mental health in the process.
If you found this article useful, you might also like this article about why making mistakes is important in our language learning journey.
And if you’d like to learn English in a supportive way, get in touch to find out more about my one to one lessons.
