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Keep It In Check
Keep It In Check English, baby! Video Lesson

Learn English with this anxiety English lesson

Date: Nov 05 2013

Themes: Health, Soap Opera

Grammar: Past Progressive Tense

Intro

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2. Read and Prepare - Read the introduction and prepare to hear the audio.

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What gives you anxiety? Exams? Job interviews? Dentist visits? It’s normal for people to feel anxious from time to time. Life can be a challenge, and it’s not always possible to know when something will go wrong. But how you act when it does is important. You need to know how to keep it in check.

To keep it in check means to stay calm and pay attention to what’s going on around you. Some people say “Keep it together” or “Keep your cool,” and they’re saying the same thing. If you can keep it in check, you can probably find a solution to your problem. It’s pretty hard to work something out with a person who’s acting crazy!

Read more to find out how Lily learned to keep it in check in this English lesson about going on a retreat.

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Dialog

1. Listen and Read - Listen to the audio and read the dialog at the same time.

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2. Study - Read the dialog again to see how the vocab words are used.

Lily

Lily

Amanda

Amanda

Mason

Mason

Jeff

Jeff

Lily:  Hi, guys.

Amanda:  Hey!

Mason:  Hey, you’re back!

Amanda:  She’s actually back because I invited her. Lily, I think that that letter that you sent us, telling us about where you’ve been and what had happened, was really honest and heartfelt.

Lily:  It was. I meant every word.

Amanda:  And I’m glad that you reached out because I was thinking about you. We want to know how you’re doing. Come sit down. Tell us. Where have you been?

Lily:  Well, I had a lot of time to think while I was away at Rolling Hills Farms.

Jeff:  Yeah, what’s up with that place? Is it some sort of rehab place?

Mason:  Wait, like a mental institution?

Amanda:  Guys, I think what she called it was a “relaxation experience retreat” or something like that.

Lily:  Yeah, that’s it. A relaxation retreat. Basically, at Rolling Hills Farms, they teach you how to relax, and how to deal with your anxiety in a healthy and positive way.

Mason:  So, what kind of stuff do you do there?

Lily:  We focus a lot on our breathing.

Mason:  Don’t people just breathe automatically?

Lily:  Yeah, but if you practice breathing techniques, you can soothe yourself and calm yourself. And you can keep those anxious and negative feelings in check. You can control them.

Jeff:  Sounds kind of great. I have anxiety from time to time myself. Maybe I should go there.

Lily:  It was really great.

Amanda:  What else did you do there?

Lily:  Well, we did some meditation. We did yoga. A little therapy, you know.

Jeff:  Is it cheap?

Lily:  Definitely not. I actually had to write them a huge check when I left, but it’s totally worth it.

Amanda:  Oh, yeah, it seems like it. I mean it looks like you’re doing great, Lily.

Lily:  I feel wonderful. And you know, I was actually thinking. Would it be all right if I offered a weekly breathing class at the office? I could teach everyone some techniques to really keep their stress in check.

Amanda:  That sounds pretty good to me. What do you think, guys?

Mason:  What?

 

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Discussion

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Amanda has invited Lily back to the office to find out how she is and what she was doing at Rolling Hills Farm. Lily looks and sounds really good. Her anxiety is gone, thanks to a lot of techniques she learned to help her relax. She tried meditation and yoga, she talked with a doctor, and she worked on breathing slowly.

Jeff’s interested to know more, because he also experiences anxiety and wants to feel less stressed out. The retreat cost a lot of money, so he may not visit Rolling Hills Farm, but Jeff wants to take the breathing class that Lily is offering to everyone. Amanda likes the idea, too. Only Mason acts like he’s not taking Lily seriously.

What sorts of things make you anxious, and what do you do to keep it in check?

 

Comments

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ttsuka

ttsuka

Japan

Here is a little true story: I have been pestered by this symptom for many years. I get chocked on food. It started one day out of the blue. After Googling, I found that it happens when your vocal cord becomes very sensitive to external stimulus (in my case, vinegary foods and some small food pieces getting to the back roof of my mouth) and it often has a lot to do with mental stress. When the chocking happens, you can still breathe through the nose. But before you get to that, you would cough up and experience very scary moments from being unable to breath – a scene you certainly don’t want to display in public.  Recently, I read that right breathing techniques can help. So, I tried and I was surprised to find how effective it was. So, breathing, and relaxation, does matter a lot.  

01:45 PM Feb 08 2014 |

fabsir

fabsir

Brazil

I work in a busy office and getting everything done on time is stressful and that makes me anxious as a result. Unfortunately I have yet to learn techiniques to keep stress and anxiety in check. Right now I find it hard to keep those in check. I may follow Lily´s example and go to a retreat.

02:40 PM Nov 19 2013 |

Nadya_Hope

Nadya_Hope

Russian Federation

When I deal with new situations or I get out of my comfort zone I feel anxious! for example, when I go to the hospital I feel anxious, especially when I take exams.actually I feel anxious just about constantly

07:55 AM Nov 11 2013 |

MAHSA1995

MAHSA1995

Iran, Islamic Republic Of

I believe that the comfortable feeling is an inside job.Nobody can make you feel calm or even nobody can force you.People around you,your friends and different things can effect you,but at the end you are the one who decides…than you should ask yourself”am i really serious on making myself relax?”


 I still count on my parents.May God bless them, they  always make me feel relax and happy.:)

07:52 PM Nov 06 2013 |

SÉRGIO

SÉRGIO

Brazil

New dates make me anxious! but i try not thinking too much about to keep it in check!

04:49 PM Nov 05 2013 |

1 person likes this

jef_maiko

jef_maiko

Brazil

I feel anxiety when I work too much or when I’m expecting the result of something important. To keep it in check I go to the beach…..

03:18 PM Nov 05 2013 |

skaloveiklasse

Tunisia

meditation lessones are very easy but the benfiets are big it can effect in your helth in your psychological problem’s and makes you keep in check your anxiety and came you back your soothe and also helps in many filed however the probelm consicely concerning of time and the retreat(the plae when you relax)

12:39 PM Nov 05 2013 |

Seiyf_khawas

Turkey

the best yoga is to have heartfelt smiles..


the best meditation is to have happiness and its medicine is love..


always keep your hopes..never give up ..think ” there is always a hope” 


anxieties,worries,fears dont make you younger,happier,healtier,more beautiful ..


keep your hopes and dreams in check :)


and never forget ” everything will pass,this too” 


thus,never stop smiling !!

 julito

julito

Argentina

Lily`s just got back from a retreat or what you may want to call it and what !!! Mason is not  taking her  co-worker  seriously, in spite that  she has  mortgaged  the rest of her life  and is upbeat and willing to share with them the breathing techniques  that she has learned during her stay at Rolling Hills Farm. Mason , wise up !! you are not helping. I prefer to soothe my mind with Yoga and Meditation. What makes me anxious is  when my health is failing or problems  in my field of work  that i can not work out  satisfactorily

10:40 AM Nov 05 2013 |

whipiry

whipiry

South Korea

Kind of good to go to sort of retreat ,,it is not necessary to be expensive…everywhere nature around us…I think the image of rehab place approaches to me as a negative one..i don’t know why…maybe horror films can be why for that image.



whatever can keep stress or negative images in check is good for people..


i think some means are essential to keep our bad thing in check..



06:45 AM Nov 05 2013 |

ping``

ping``

China

Everybody just need to find a correct and suitable way to keep it in check .Personally,i would do some sports and write it done in my diary .There s a popular saying now:Things cant be worse,so anything u have to be afraid.Things r still not that bad,why u wanna push it to that way?


So finally ,we all could get calm and inner peace .

06:20 AM Nov 05 2013 |

DanielBorges

Portugal

When I deal with new situations or I get out of my comfort zone I could get anxious!
To counter this, I try to sleep well, I make some sport or I do something else to distract me! Retreat for a while in a soothe place could also be a good way to keep it in check. Some people suggested to stay in the present moment instead of get worry or concerned with an upcoming moment. One of this calls Eckhart Tolle – a spiritual teacher, which had wright the book – The power of know! A bit esoteric reading, but with some good ideas and theories.

10:29 PM Nov 04 2013 |

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