#60- 20 Words for Mental Health & Self Care

Welcome to episode #60 of the Real Life English with Gabby Podcast! In this episode, you'll learn 20 commonly used phrasal verbs, slang words, and idioms that you’ll hear in real American conversations about mental health and self care. This is such an important topic for everyone, because learning how to express how you feel is one of the most vital things for humans to be able to communicate. In this episode, you’ll learn expressions like:
 👉 at the end of your rope

👉 get something off your chest

👉 snap out of it

👉 weather the storm 

...and more!

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• All vocabulary from the episode
• Definitions + new examples
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Transcript

[00:00:00]
 On this episode of The Real Life English with Gabby podcast, I'll be teaching you 20 slang words, phrasal verbs, and idioms about mental health and self-care. You'll be learning vocabulary like at the end of your rope, get something off your chest, snap out of it, weather the storm, and more. Let's get to it.

Hey there. Welcome to The Real Life English with Gabby podcast. I'm your host, Gabby—your fun and friendly English teacher from the one and only New York City. My goal is to teach you phrasal verbs, idioms, and slang that will help you speak English confidently and understand real American conversations.

Are you ready to improve your English skills? Let's jump right in.

Hey, hey, hey! Welcome to episode number 60. Today we're diving deep into mental health and
 [00:01:00]
 self-care. This is a topic that has become very popular in recent years, with people starting to actually care about their mental health and understanding the importance of self-care. Some countries are learning how to focus on this more quickly than others.

But the value is tremendous, no matter where you're from. The word tremendous, in case you don't know, means very large, great. It can be used to mean excellent, impressive. For example, we'd say that the team made a tremendous effort to finish the project on time.

So today's topic—I chose because of the importance of mental health. It's something that affects all of us. It's not just about serious mental illness; it's also about things that we deal with
 [00:02:00]
 daily: how to handle stress, how to take care of ourselves, how we manage our emotions, how we stay connected to other people. Sometimes we try to stay strong and pretend that everything is fine.

Even when we're struggling, we might even continue working, helping others, smiling on the outside. But inside, we feel exhausted, anxious, or even numb. And it's really hard sometimes to find the words to explain it. And that's why vocabulary matters.

This is why I love teaching real-life English—learning new words and phrases specifically on this topic about how we feel. We're learning how to express emotions that can be really difficult to describe. Language gives you power. The power to name your feelings, to ask
 [00:03:00]
 for help, to talk honestly with people that you love. And again, this is why I love teaching real-life English—because it helps you become powerful with your English and helps you grow in how you can describe things in English.

Funny stories. You know, I teach English here, and we have students from all over the world coming. We have a very active social community here. And so what happens is, often we have students who connect and form relationships. Some of my previous students have even gotten married. But—

it's funny because when I taught A1, believe it or not, I had a couple who were in a relationship—a Colombian guy, Turkish girl. And it was very interesting because watching them try to communicate how they feel, they would type stuff into their translators
 [00:04:00]
 and then show each other because they didn't have the language to express themselves. It was very frustrating for them, because language is power. Knowing how to express yourself is a powerful thing.

Another important thing to remember about this topic is that self-care is not selfish. Taking care of your own body and your own mind helps you stay strong, not only for yourself, but for others. We have an idiom in English that says you can't pour from an empty cup. It's one of the idioms that you're gonna be learning in the episode. And basically, you can't take care of other people if you don't take care of yourself first.

So in today's episode, we're not just learning English. We're also learning how to take care of ourselves, how to be a good friend to others, and how to stay strong when life gets tough.

All right. Let me tell you all of the vocabulary that you're gonna learn in today's episode: burnout,
 [00:05:00]
 mental load, check in on or check in with, open up, shut down, at the end of your rope, keep your chin up, reach out to, get something off your chest, pour from an empty cup, space out, trigger, take a breather, work through, to see a light at the end of the tunnel, recharge your batteries, snap out of it, a weight off your shoulders, put your mind at ease, and weather the storm.

Before we get into the story, I just wanna remind you that there's a free study guide waiting for you that has everything you need to be able to use these words and expressions right away in your communication. It has the words, definitions, example sentences,
 [00:06:00]
 story, transcript, and practice activities. To get the study guide, just click the link in the episode description.

All right. Now I'm going to read you a story that has all of these words in real-life contexts. Listen as I read, and see if you can figure out the meanings through context. Then, after reading the story, I'll review the meanings of all the vocabulary and share example sentences.

Let’s go to the story.

Emma was feeling burned out. She worked long hours at her job and still had to come home each day and take care of her family. The mental load was just too much. Her best friend, Lola, decided to check in on her by stopping by one day.

“Hey, Emma,
 [00:07:00]
 how are you doing?” Lola asked.

Emma really didn't want to open up at first. She felt tired, and she just felt like shutting down. But Lola kept asking gently. So finally, Emma said, “I feel like I'm at the end of my rope. I can't do this anymore.”

Lola nodded. “I know it's hard, but keep your chin up. You are not alone. You can reach out to me any time.”

Emma took a deep breath. “Thank you, Lola. I just needed to get that off my chest.”

She realized that she had been trying to pour from an empty cup, giving so much to others without taking care of herself first.

Lola saw that Emma was starting to space out, so she suggested they take a walk. Emma agreed,
 [00:08:00]
 but halfway through the walk, her anxiety was triggered when she started worrying about the future.

“Let's take a breather,” Lola said. They sat on a bench and rested.

Emma felt a bit better. “I need to work through all of these feelings,” Emma admitted, “but today I'm starting to see a light at the end of the tunnel. I know it's gonna get better.”

Later, Emma went home and decided to try to recharge her batteries. She needed some self-care to snap out of this mood that she was in—at least for tonight. She lit a candle, took a warm bath, and then watched her favorite TV series and relaxed.

She decided to take the next few days off from work. She spent the next week just relaxing and trying to heal her mind and
 [00:09:00]
 soul.

By the end of the next week, she felt a weight off her shoulders. Talking to Lola and taking some time off really helped put her mind at ease. She knew she couldn't fix everything right away, but she was ready to weather the storm one day at a time.

The end.

Okay. Let's now take a look at all of the vocabulary and their definitions.

First up, we have the phrasal verb burn out. So we see that Emma says that she feels burned out. To be burned out or to burn out is to become extremely tired or stressed because of working too hard for too long. So you've been working, working, working, working—very little time to rest—and so you burn out.

For example: “She burned out after working late nights every day for months.”

Next up, we have mental load. This is a noun, can be considered an expression. Mental is anything that applies to your brain—but not the biological side, the side that thinks and
[00:10:00]
makes decisions.

A mental load is the invisible, emotional, or thinking work that you carry. So this has to do with responsibilities, tasks, things of that nature that you typically carry from day to day.

For example: “The mental load of planning everything for the family was exhausting her.”

Next up, we have check in on or check in with. These are both three-word phrasal verbs, and they mean to see how someone is doing emotionally or physically.

For example: “I called to check in on my friend after she got fired from her job.”

Next up, we have the phrasal verb "to open up." We can use open up in a very literal standpoint, like, "He's gonna open up the store an hour early for me," but in the context of mental health communication, to open up means to start speaking honestly about your feelings or thoughts.
It’s like your brain, your heart just opens, and you start to share.
For example: It took him a long time to open up about his anxiety.

Next up, we have the phrasal [00:12:00] verb "shut down."
 To shut down means to stop communicating or showing emotions—usually because of stress, sadness, or anger.
You feel so many emotions that it just causes you to completely stop communicating.
For example: She shut down after the argument and didn’t want to talk anymore.

Next up, we have "at the end of your rope."
 To be at the end of your rope is feeling like you can’t handle any more stress or problems.
That’s it—you’ve hit the end. You can’t do anymore.
For example: After a week of bad news, I was at the end of my rope.

Next up, we have "to keep your chin up."
 This means to stay positive, stay looking up, stay hopeful—even when things are very [00:13:00] difficult.
 For example: I know this is a hard time, but keep your chin up. Things will get better.

Next up, we have a three-word phrasal verb: "reach out to."
 Reach out to means to contact someone specifically because you need help, support, or some kind of connection.
For example: If you’re feeling lonely, don’t be afraid to reach out to a friend—contact them for support, connection, or help.

Next up is "to get something off your chest."
 This is a really, really popular one, so I’m sure you’ve heard it before.
 To get something off your chest means to share something that’s been worrying or bothering you.
For example: I felt so much better after I got that off my chest.
 You’ve been holding something inside, and you finally decide to release it. Let it go. [00:14:00] Communicate it.

Next up is the idiom we talked about earlier in the episode: "to pour from an empty cup."
 This means to give to others when you have no energy or strength left.
 So, you’re expected to give energy to someone else, but you yourself have no more energy.
 The point of this expression is that you can’t take care of other people if you’re not taking care of yourself first.
 Imagine that your energy, your love, your time, your care—it’s like water in a cup. If the cup is empty because you’re tired, stressed, burned out, then you have nothing left to give.
 For example: She realized she couldn’t keep pouring from an empty cup and needed rest.

Next up, we have the phrasal verb "to space out."
 This means to mentally stop paying attention—you’re drifting off, your mind is [00:15:00] going to a different place.
 For example: Sorry, I spaced out during the meeting and I didn’t hear the question.
 We sometimes say your mind is “on the moon”—like you go way out into space.

Next up, we have the word "trigger"—to trigger.
 This is a verb. It’s something that sets off or starts a negative emotional or mental reaction.
 For example: If your dog just died, and you’re walking down the street and you see someone else walking a dog that looks exactly like yours, that’s your trigger.
 We can also use it as a noun. That’s going to trigger you to get emotional—maybe you’ll start crying—because it’s setting off, it’s signaling an emotional reaction.
 For example: Loud noises can trigger his panic attacks.

[00:16:00] Next up, we have "take a breather."
 This means to pause and rest for a moment.
 "Okay guys, let’s take a breather. Let’s take a rest. Let’s take a break. Let’s breathe in and out."
 For example: Let’s take a breather before we continue working on this big project.

Next up, we have the phrasal verb "to work through."
 This means to process and deal with difficult emotions or problems.
 For example: She’s still working through her sadness after the breakup.

Next up is a very nice idiom: "to see a light at the end of the tunnel."
 This means to start seeing hope or progress after a difficult time.
 For example: After months of therapy, he’s finally seeing a light at the end of the tunnel.

Next up, we have "to recharge [00:17:00] your batteries."
 This means to rest and regain your energy.
 Your battery—your social battery—is empty. You’ve given all your energy, and now you need to rest and recharge.
 For example: I need a weekend off to recharge my batteries.

Next up, we have a phrasal verb, but it can also be an expression because it’s long: "snap out of it."
 Snap out of is a phrasal verb, but the expression "Snap out of it!" means to suddenly stop feeling sad, upset, or stuck.
"Snap out of it. Stop it. Toughen up. Stop crying. Stop being upset. You gotta make a change."
For example: You’ve been sad all day—try to snap out of it and join us for dinner.

[00:18:00] Next up, we have "a weight off your shoulders."
 This is a feeling of relief. You have a weight—something heavy on you: worries, responsibility, fear—and all of a sudden, you feel relief.
 Something you did, something happened, and we say:
 "Wow, I feel like a weight was lifted off my shoulders."
 Or: "I feel a weight off my shoulders."
 For example: Finishing the project was a huge weight off my shoulders.

Next up, we have "to put your mind at ease."
 Ease is calm, peace. So, to put your mind at ease is to make yourself or someone else stop worrying.
You say, "Mom, let me put your mind at ease." Or you can say it about yourself.
For example: The doctor’s words really put my mind at [00:19:00] ease.

And lastly, we have "to weather the storm."
 To weather a storm means to survive.
So when we’re weathering a storm, it means to survive a difficult time or situation.
Here, weather is a verb—it’s not a noun, like “Hey, what’s the weather?”
So again: weather the storm means to survive some kind of storm, which represents a difficult time or situation.
For example: They managed to weather the storm in their marriage and come out stronger.

Guess what? You just learned 20 new phrasal verbs, idioms, and slang words that you can start using today.
 I’m gonna now give you some homework so that you’re more likely to remember these words and use them in your English.

Step one: If you haven’t done it already, go download the study guide [00:20:00] so that you can get extra practice.
 It’s a free guide that will tell you exactly what to do and how to remember what you learn.

Step two: You’re gonna pick 7 to 10 words that you just learned in this episode, and you’re gonna try to use them.
 Maybe you want to write an email. Maybe you want to write them in a vocabulary journal and create some sentences.
 Or maybe you have a friend that you can practice with and start talking to them about what’s going on with you.
 How are you, mentally?
 You can definitely have the opportunity to use this.
 And if you’re in a really good place now, nothing’s stressing you out, maybe you can talk to your friend or write about something that you experienced in the past, so that you can use these words in a real-life context.
 However it is that you practice these [00:21:00] words, just make sure to do it so that you can actually remember what you learned in the episode.

Well, that’s a wrap for today’s episode of The Real Life English with Gabby podcast!
Be sure to download today’s study guide so that you can learn how to use this vocabulary confidently.
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Thanks so much for tuning in!