I have bipolar disorder, so how much I study heavily fluctuates. There was a solid chunk of about 7 months where I was feeling great and studying a lot, and then I had an episode. I basically hit ground zero every year. It almost feels like it’s not worth it. I’ve been feeling sick since, and for a while I did nothing. Recently, to at least get some work done, I’ve been listening to podcasts somewhat actively while gaming. It’s all I can really bring myself to do. It feels bad only listening for 2-4 hours and not reading, not doing my Anki, etc. I wonder if it’s really worth my time. Just looking for some advice and encouragement. Thank you.
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Like will this be detrimental if I’m only doing listening practice? I can actually listen quite a bit while gaming but I don’t read or do anything else at the moment.
Any progress is good progress! I have ADHD and C-PTSD (both really affect my motivation to do things) and I also have long periods where I just can’t get myself to do much. Learning a language with an illness/disability is going to be a different experience than learning without one. Do what you can, any practice will help you even if you aren’t balancing out speaking, listening, reading and writing. Don’t beat yourself up if you can’t learn the same way abled learners do. Best of luck – you’ll be fine 🙂
Take care of your illness first, as health should be your top priority. I recommend talking to a doctor if you are not currently. Therapy can also help.
That being said it’s a marathon, not a race. It sounds like you really enjoy listening, and listening will improve your listening, so you’re not wasting your time. I have found that studying Japanese can be a good distraction in tough times, even if just a little. For me it’s a hobby and an escape, not a chore. If you’re finding a part of it that doesn’t feel like a chore, it’s fine to do that.
Best of luck to you. Don’t be so hard on yourself.
I also have bipolar disorder (type 2) and struggle with the same issue. My cycles are a bit shorter, usually a couple of months. If you can keep listening during a depressive episode you are doing great! It’s one of the most important things you can do. I’ve personally found even just a bit of passive listening to be extremely valuable even if it’s all I can manage. It keeps your brain decoding the sound system. Like learning to read it gets faster and more accurate the more you do it. Plus, even if you aren’t actively studying to grow your vocabulary, it will continue to grow, albeit more slowly, but that’s okay! It’ll swing back around eventually 🙂
It really also sucks because I can’t join a learning community or any for that matter without eventually embarrassing the hell out of myself. And you really find out how rotten people are when they don’t understand and just bully you for it.
Learning a language gives me hope for when I have no one left to help me. My family already gave up on me and I ended up homeless for a month or two. Now I only have one person left that keeps me off the streets. I hope I can learn enough to find some work when they’re gone. It sucks to go from an all star to nothing.