- I'm going to show you
how to get over your fear of speaking Spanish.
So if you want to learn how to do that, keep watching.
Hello, it's me, your local (speaking in foreign language).
I've not done one of these in so long,
and I know my PA is very mad at me
'cause she hasn't been hired in a long time.
So sorry.
(soft music)
So I haven't been doing these vlogs a lot
because I felt like I needed more experience
to really share more stories with you guys.
But then I came across this Tik Tok.
(speaking in foreign language)
- Oh no, no Spanish?
Oh.
You're Mexican, but you don't speak Spanish?
Well that's okay, I speak English.
See how easy that was guys.
- I sobbed after seeing this video.
This was shot in like POV,
so it makes it feel like he's talking to you.
And so not only did I feel like he was talking to me
before I started learning Spanish,
but I also gained some hope for the next generation
that they are changing the narrative
for Latin-X people
who don't speak Spanish,
which is something that I felt alone in.
And that got me thinking
I've never really don't a video
of how to get over the fear of speaking Spanish.
I feel like through my experience,
I have gained so much knowledge
that I want to share with you guys
to help you guys heal,
and so that you can use these as tools
to get over your fear.
So let's get started.
The first way you can get over your fear
of speaking Spanish is to identify the fear.
So I could tell you,
use Duolingo, or get a tutor,
or speak Spanish every single day.
But at the end of the day,
it comes from a very deep place.
And that could stem from childhood,
from getting rejected.
Until we have healed and identified what that is,
we are gonna continue holding ourselves back.
And that is 100% what I used to do.
Why was I too afraid to speak?
The fear of being judged
and being embarrassed for messing up.
I was like okay, I'm afraid of being judged.
For what?
For not knowing
these certain things in my culture.
Why don't I know these certain things in my culture?
I didn't grow up that way.
I grew up in a very Mexican-American Chicano household,
which means we spoke Spanglish.
We didn't speak full on Mexican Spanish.
I love the way I grew up.
I'm not gonna bash on how I grew up
just because I don't know the language.
I felt like after I confirmed that,
the judgment fear kinda dissolved away
'cause I'm like I know who I am.
I am proud of where I come from.
And that's that.
The second fear I had was embarrassment
of failing, of messing up.
Why am I afraid of messing up?
Because I would get picked on for saying words wrong.
Why did I say words wrong?
Because I didn't know how to say them.
I didn't grow up with these certain words.
These are just two ways that I tried to like break it down.
Then I envisioned myself as a little kid,
maybe at the time when I was getting judged.
And I go back to that time as a 26 year old
going back to my 12 year old self.
And I literally give her a hug,
and I hold her so tight.
It's gonna make me cry.
And I tell her, you are whole.
You are loved.
And you are enough
no matter if this girl says you're not
because you can't speak the language.
Do not be ashamed of the way that you grew up?
You will learn.
You will have opportunity to learn.
And I'm giving you love.
So for me, that is healing that little girl in me
who does manifest as fear.
Whenever I feel like that fear comes up,
it feels like her.
It feels like that little kid trying to protect me
from being judged and being embarrassed.
So that is one tactic I use to cope with
getting over that kind of fear to speak Spanish.
Because it starts there.
It starts with ourselves.
Step two, now that you
have identified the fear is immersion.
And also, you're gonna have to speak Spanish.
I know that is scary.
You've just gone through this big thing
of identifying your fear,
and going through past childhood traumas and rejections.
And now you're just gonna have to do it.
There's no other way.
You have no other choice.
So what I started to do was find resources.
In the 60 day Spanish video,
I found a tutor, and I started to do Duolingo.
Not only that, but I found different YouTube videos
if I was struggling with a certain sound.
Another thing is if you still have your grandparents here,
or any family members that speak Spanish,
speak Spanish with them.
If you think they're gonna judge you,
I would definitely be honest and upfront
and say this is something I'm really sensitive about,
and I need guidance and reassurance versus judgment.
So another way to help immerse yourself is by
the things you watch, and the things you listen to.
Watch more telenovelas, or things in Spanish.
You can start to pick up different phrases
and say them over and over again,
and really learn what they mean.
Start filling up your life
with more Spanish language things.
This part is you taking back control
of your (speaking in foreign language).
This is you showing up for yourself.
You're not doing this to show other people
that you can speak Spanish,
to have them validate you.
This is you validating yourself.
The first part of facing that fear
was you really looking at it
and healing that part of your past.
Now it's our chance to change that narrative.
And once we heal ourselves,
we are healing our ancestors,
and the next generation.
So I'm very excited for whoever watched this video,
for your Spanish journey,
and for you to get over this fear.
This is major.
Be kind and patient to yourself
and give yourself some extra love.
(soft music)
- [Child] Pero Like.
(soft music)