Speaking Through the Fear: Understanding and Easing Language Anxiety
- Cornelia
- Aug 28, 2025
- 5 min read
Updated: Aug 29, 2025
What Is Language Anxiety?
Language anxiety can be defined as feeling nervous or blocked when trying to speak a language that is not your native one. It doesn’t matter whether you live abroad and are learning the national language, or whether you are studying a foreign language at home as a hobby – anxiety might strike in a classroom setting when you need to speak in front of peers or teachers, or in a real-life situation.
The scenario often looks similar: your throat dries up, your face gets hot, your body tenses. You’re scared to open your mouth because you fear the words will come out jumbled. People might give you a funny, annoyed, or puzzled look. Maybe they still understand you, maybe they don’t – but the result is the same: you feel like you’ve failed.
Frustrated, many people (if possible) switch back to their native language to escape the situation and avoid exposing themselves again. This coping mechanism makes sense: we rely on our native tongue because it feels safer than making mistakes and risking judgment. Often, this lack of confidence is rooted in negative past experiences. We have “evidence” that we are bad at the language – we’ve messed up before, so of course we expect to fail again.
Once we dive deep into these beliefs and understand how they have been created, we can use tapping to release the negative charge around the events they are based on and move forward in a different way. Interestingly, those triggering experiences are not always directly linked to language learning. Sometimes, they go back to childhood events: moments of being scolded, laughed at, or even ignored.
What Does the Research Say?
Research on L2 (second language) anxiety is quite extensive. Unsurprisingly, it confirms that forcing someone with anxiety to speak in front of peers doesn’t help. It also shows that an anxious mind struggles to retain, process, and produce information effectively. So being put on the spot by a teacher when you are in an anxious state leads to a negative spiral: you won’t be able to perform as well because of your anxiety, and this will confirm the bias you have already created in your mind – that you are not confident or competent. This makes it clear that anxiety affects not just language learning ability, but also confidence and motivation.
What caught my attention, however, is this: language anxiety often arises because learning a new language challenges our self-concept as competent communicators. Suddenly, we see the strong ties between language learning, identity, and perfectionism.
Sources of Language Anxiety
Researchers distinguish between linguistic, learner-internal, and learner-external factors.
1. Linguistic Factors
Experience of multilingualism: Multilingual learners often know which strategies work best for them. So the more practice you get in language learning, the easier it will get, because you already know the tools that help you move forward.
Frequency of use: The more you use the language, the more confident you feel. This creates a positive reinforcement cycle: use → confidence → willingness to try again.
2. Learner-Internal Factors
Low self-esteem, fear of judgment, competitiveness: Explains why anxiety increases in groups where we feel uncomfortable.
Extraversion vs. introversion: Extroverts may take more risks in communication, while introverts might hesitate.
Perfectionism: Waiting until you’re “sure” you won’t make a mistake is a recipe for silence, not progress.
Growth vs. fixed mindset: Believing that language skills can be improved through practice (growth mindset) leads to better outcomes than believing “I just suck at languages” (fixed mindset). You might argue at this point that people do have different levels of talent when it comes to language learning. Still, having a growth mindset means that you can improve from your starting point, whatever your innate talent.
3. Learner-External Factors
A supportive classroom makes a big difference. Correcting mistakes harshly in front of others raises anxiety and lowers motivation. Gentle feedback and encouragement, on the other hand, foster confidence and willingness to practice.
Reflection and Self-Awareness
You might already recognize some of these factors. The key is to identify which ones affect you most. Ask yourself:
When do I feel most anxious?
What coping mechanisms do I use?
What is my inner dialogue? What is my critical voice saying?
By becoming aware of your patterns, you can begin to work with them. For me personally, it’s important to understand that as an introvert I feel more uncomfortable in a group setting with people I don’t know well. I start to compare myself to others, and I feel blocked from speaking because I sense people’s judgment, which then really affects my ability to speak. Having reflected on that, it’s easier to tap more specifically and see how I can work on feeling more comfortable in groups.
Emotional Release and Healing
Once you identify your triggers, you can start acknowledging your emotions. For example:
“Even though I feel nervous and tight in my throat, I am okay.”
“Even though I’m frustrated I switched back to English again, because here we go again, I choose to accept myself.”
In later steps, you can revisit past experiences that shaped your beliefs – moments of being laughed at, scolded, or misunderstood. Releasing the strong emotions tied to these memories opens space for greater self-acceptance. Appreciating how far you have already come is also an important step, as well as bringing back to mind those times when you do feel you are making progress – those precious moments when you do feel confident.
Practical Steps to Reduce Language Anxiety
On a practical level, it is essential to find a safe environment where you can practice without fear of judgment. This might be with a language teacher who understands your anxiety and allows you to progress at your own pace, or with a trusted friend who makes you feel at ease. Personally, I notice a huge difference when I am comfortable with someone; my confidence grows, and I find myself struggling far less. Exchange groups can also provide this kind of support, since everyone is in the same situation and mistakes are seen as a natural part of the process. Returning to the topic of perfectionism, it is crucial to recognize how much your own expectations and self-imposed pressure shape the experience. If you expect your words to come out flawlessly, you are setting yourself up for disappointment. A more realistic approach is to lower the goal: even if your pronunciation sounds off to you or you make a few mistakes, what truly matters is that you manage to get your message across. That, in itself, is a success.
Final Thoughts
In the end, language learning is not just about words and grammar—it’s about confidence, self-acceptance, and the courage to keep trying. Tapping (EFT) can be a gentle ally along the way, helping you calm the nerves in the moment and release the deeper beliefs that hold you back. If you feel ready to go deeper, please feel free to book a free chat.
With safe spaces to practice, kinder expectations, and tools that support your emotional well-being, the journey becomes lighter and more joyful. And every small step forward is worth celebrating.
Join the mailing list to get access to the next monthly free group tapping session - I look forward to welcoming you to that safe space to dive deeper into your blocks around language learning.
Further reading/Source: Papi M, Khajavy H. Second language anxiety: Construct, effects, and sources. Annual Review of Applied Linguistics. 2023; 43:127-139. doi:10.1017/S0267190523000028
Really insightful! I will consider your thoughts when teaching, thank you!