What Role Do Learning Resources Play In Language Learning Burn Out?

When we are learning a language, we need resources, and these can come in all sorts of shapes and sizes. Maybe it’s a textbook, a course or just a movie we are using to immerse with.

Usually we pick the resource that we think can give us the most value, but do these have any effect on our risk of becoming burnt out?

The truth is that yes, the resources we use can have an effect on this. It really comes down to if we are enjoying the resource or not, the more we enjoy what we are using, the less likely it will cause us to suffer from language learning burn out.

Resources Play A Major Role In Your Overall Success Or Failure

When it comes to learning a language, there are so many different resources and the ones you pick can really determine your chances of success or failure.

While it can be argued that any method will work, which I would agree is true, the reality is a little different. Just because there is 100 ways to do something, doesn’t mean all of them are going to be right for you.

We all learn differently and we all have different likes and dislikes as well as different experiences from life. This means that when we first start out with our language studies, need to test a few different resources and see what ones resonate with us.

The ones that we are drawn to are going to be the ones that give us the best results and likewise, if we pick ones that we do not really enjoy, we will struggle with our progress in the language. 

(You can read more about – Resources To Help You Learn a Language)

Using Resources That You Don’t Like Can Lead To Language Burn Out

As I mentioned above, the resources you chose to learn with can make a difference between failure and success.

If you are using resources that you do not really like, you may actually be at a higher risk of burning out.

When you look at what language learning burn out is, it is just long term exhaustion. It takes a lot of energy to learn a language and using resources that you are not really enjoying will take up more of your energy.

You are going to spend more energy to actually just get started studying and when you do get into it; it will just require more effort to make progress, simply because you don’t really like what you are doing

Having to use up this extra energy is going to all add up and it is going to make your risk of burn out higher.

Using Fun Resources Will Lower The Risk Of Language Burn Out

If you choose to use language learning resources that you actually enjoy and find fun, you will find that the total opposite effect happens. You will find that you want to study a lot more and you will find that you can study for longer and you will just find the whole process more enjoyable and it will feel less stressful.

You will also see more success, and this all boils to the fact that you are enjoying what you are doing.

This will all reduce your risk of burn out, of course you can still push yourself too hard and drain yourself and reach burn out, but in general the risk is lower if you are enjoying what you are doing.

All of this shows why it is so important to pick resources that you enjoy as it really can make the difference to both your progress and risk of burning out.

Sometimes Bad Resources Are Unavoidable When Learning A Language

I think that it is important to realise that you will not always find the perfect resource for every situation.

Sometimes you just need deal with something that you think isn’t great. It might be because it is the only thing available or that it is a just a necessary part of your study, either way, you just have to push through with it.

So long as the majority of your resources are something you enjoy, then it is not really a problem. I think we can all be adult enough to accept that not everything will be perfect and can deal with some resources we don’t enjoy as much.

It may take a little more effort to use these, but hopefully we can still make progress with them.   

Always Watch Out For Burn Out, No Matter What Resource You Are Using

I don’t want you to think that the resources you are using might be the only cause of your burn out.

While they can certainly play a role, they are not the only factor. It doesn’t matter what you are using to study, if you push yourself for too hard, for too long, you will burn out.

It is just that you are more likely to reach this state faster if you are not enjoying the resource you are using, simply as it will take you more energy to do the task.

You should always be watching for burn out, no matter how much you are enjoying your studying. It is very easy to get over excited and work too hard. We all want to see success and we can all chase after it too aggressively at times.

Just take the time to check how you are doing and how you are feeling every now and again. If you feel you have been working pretty hard, don’t be scared to cut back a little bit and rest. It will help you in the long run, even if you think it is slowing you down.

(You can read more about – Signs That You Are Suffering From Language Burn Out)

Conclusion

Hopefully now you can understand that the resources you use to learn a language can play a role in your ability to become burnt out, of course there are many other factors and while it may mostly come down to how hard you push yourself, the type of resource you use can have an effect.

Basically if you are not enjoying what you are doing when you are learning a language, your chances of becoming burnt out will be higher, so find something you like and lean into that.

You will see better results, be less likely to burn out and more importantly, you will be having fun …it just all makes sense.

(You can read more about – What Are The Causes Of Language Learning Burn Out?)