[329] How to Restart Your English Routine

[329] How to Restart Your English Routine

Hello! I’m back after a short break! In this episode, we learn about resilience, routines, and restarting your English learning journey. Learn everyday expressions like ‘bounce back’ and ‘get back on track’ through fun stories and examples. Enjoy :)

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Full Transcript (Restart Your English Learning Routine)

Hey guys! You’re listening to the English Made Simple Show! This is episode number 329, number three hundred and twenty-nine, número trescientos veintinueve.

Welcome back, amigos y amigas! It’s your podcast host, Milena from englishmadesimple.net. And I’m here with another episode of the English Made Simple Show.

And wow, it feels really good to be saying that again I have to say. I’m back amigos y amigas! Took a little pause –  a little break – but I’m here, ready to share more English learning goodness with you.

Let’s get straight into it. In today’s episode, we’re going to ease back into our routine, with some English phrases that are perfect for when life takes a little unexpected turn and you have to… well… bounce back.

That’s an interesting expression, bounce back. You’ll learn about this one and more.

Today you’ll learn useful expressions like bounce back, get back on track, and take time off. These are all phrases we use in everyday English, and I’ve got some stories and examples to help make them easy for you amigos to understand.

So let’s dive into today’s episode amigos y amigas…

Ok First off… where the heck have I been?

Well, amigos, I needed to take some time off. I won’t go into too much detail, but if you listened to the last episode, episode 328, just before this one, you’ll find out why. Just quickly, in short, I had a family emergency earlier this year and someone very close to me passed away, so I needed to step away from the microphone for a while. I needed some time to grieve.

So you could say life threw me a curveball – this is an American expression. It’s a metaphor from baseball.  So when someone says this, they mean life hit them with something unexpected – usually a challenge or a twist they didn’t see coming.

But here’s the thing… Even though I took a break from podcasting, I always had the podcast in the back of my mind. Strangely, I’ve been doing it for so long, it became part of my weekly routine. 

I missed it. 

And I missed all of you of course – the listeners Thank you again for your kind comments on Spotify and thank you for your emails as well.

So, I think it’s time we get back into it, right? Today’s episode is all about coming back after a break, it’s also about building resilience, and picking up where we left off.

Building resilience means becoming stronger when life gets a bit tough. It’s about learning how to bounce back after something difficult happens — like when you stop studying English for a while, or when life gets really busy and you feel like giving up.

If you can keep going even after a hard time… that’s resilience.

If you can start again after a break… that’s resilience.

It’s like training a muscle. The more you practise being patient and kind to yourself when things go wrong, the easier it becomes to bounce back next time.

Even listening to this podcast today means you’re building resilience – you’re not giving up, you’re getting back on track. And that’s amazing.

Alrighty, now… amigos. I’d like to tell you a little story about my two imaginary friends.

Let me bring back two familiar characters – Ana and Carlos. They are my imaginary friends who like to pop into the show from time to time. They’ve been with me for over five years. They help us learn English phrases and bring English expressions to life.

So let me share a little story with you. It’s not a real story – just something I made up to help explain today’s phrases in a fun way. Ok? The title of the story is “How to Restart Your English Routine”

As you listen, see if you can pick out some of the expressions we’ll be learning later. And don’t worry, we’ll practise them together at the end so you can repeat after me and start using them right away.

Alrighty, amigos y amigas… here we go!

So, not long ago, my imaginary friend Ana had been doing so well with her English. She had a great routine going. Every morning, she’d listen to a podcast or practise her pronunciation – even talk to her cat in English!

Then suddenly… boom! Life happened. Her job changed, she moved house, and everything just turned upside down. Her English practice? Completely gone. Like, poof! Disappeared.

After a few weeks, Ana started to feel a bit guilty. She said to herself, “I’ve totally fallen off the wagon.”

Carlos, her friend, saw her moping around and said: “Oi Ana, chill out. It’s all good. You just need to get back on track. It’s not too late.”

So what did Ana do?

She didn’t panic. She just started small again. Ten minutes of listening, five minutes of speaking. She even practised ordering coffee in English – even if the barista – the guy or girl who prepares coffee, they are called baristas – had no idea what she was saying!

And little by little, Ana bounced back! 

Her confidence came back, and her routine started to feel normal again.

The End.

Did you enjoy that amigos y amigas?

Now Let’s Learn Some Phrases

Here are some expressions Ana and Carlos used. These are phrases you’ll hear in real conversations:

1. To bounce back – This means to recover from a difficult time. “Ana bounced back from her break and got back into her studies.”
2. To get back on track – This means to return to your normal routine or focus. “Carlos helped Ana get back on track after a chaotic month.”
3. To take time off – This means to take a break from work or something regular. “Milena took some time off podcasting, but she’s back!”
4. To pick up where you left off – This means to continue from the point where you stopped. “You don’t need to start from scratch. Just pick up where you left off.”
5. To fall off the wagon – This idiom means to stop doing something you committed to, like studying or exercising. “Ana fell off the wagon with her English, but she’s back now.”

And what’s a wagon you might ask?

According to ‘Weon inteligente’ or the online dictionary, a wagon is a vehicle used for transporting goods or another specified purpose. 

A station wagon is a car that has a huge boot in the back to help you transport more stuff.

Cool, easy peasy japanese!

Now let’s go to our ‘Repeat After Me’ segment

It’s time for us to practise these phrases together. I’ll say them, and you repeat after me:

1. I’m ready to bounce back.
2. It’s time to get back on track.
3. I’m picking up where I left off.

Good job amigos y amigas! Even though I can’t really hear you, I know that you’re trying your best. I mean you got to the end of the episode, that’s good enough! 

What About You Amigos?

Have you ever stopped doing something you loved because life got in the way? Maybe it was English, maybe it was going to the gym, or even just reading a book.

It’s okay. We’re human. We all fall off the wagon sometimes. The important part is what we do next.

So if you’ve been away from English for a while, today is your reminder that you can come back. You can take one small step today and build on it tomorrow.

Before we wrap up today’s show, I have something exciting to share.

If pronunciation is something you struggle with – and let’s be honest, English pronunciation can be a pain in the butt – then I’ve got something special for you, you might wanna hear this.

Very soon, I’ll be offering a chance to learn with me directly. You’ll be able to book a short session where we’ll focus only on your pronunciation. You’ll speak, I’ll give you feedback, and you’ll walk away sounding clearer and more confident.

It’ll be just you and me for a week or two, working on your English pronunciation together.

I’ll share more details soon, so keep listening or visit englishmadesimple.net and click on the Learn With Me yellow button at the very top right corner.

Wrap Up

That’s it for today amigos y amigas!

Thank you so much for being here with me. It means a lot that you’re still listening, still learning, and still part of the EMS community. Thanks again for your kind messages, emails and comments on Spotify and YouTube.

You’ve been jamming with Milena. Keep practicing amigos y amigas, stay cool, and keep in touch.

Until next time, hasta la próxima!

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