53. Six ACT microskills to deal with academic anxiety

PLAYING-IT-SAFE

When you transition from highschool to college – as it’s called in the United States – or to a University – as it’s called in other parts of the world, such as South America or Europe – you go through a significant life adjustment.

As exciting as it is, there are also a lot of changes happening at once: you need to introduce yourself to new people, get adjusted to living at a different location, be in charge of your own meals, attend classes very early in the morning, speak with the register’s office if something is off, trying to fit in with your new peers, and even finding new hobbies. On top of that, you have to manage fears of failing, dealing with test anxiety, saying the wrong thing or acting in the wrong way to the point that you may engage in playing-it-safe actions like procrastinating, skipping classes, avoiding submitting a paper if it’s not perfect, and many more.

In this episode, I chat with Nic Hooper, a clinical psychologist and a senior lecturer on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy at Cardiff University in England.

In 2017 Nic Hooper, began to write a book of life advice to his son, Max, which was to be given to him on his eighteenth birthday. Over time, that book slowly transformed into The Unbreakable Student.

This is an authentic conversation that places values at the forefront.

You will listen in particular about:

• Six ways to wellbeing
• How to commit to your values
• How to practice defusion
• How Nic learned to relate to his fears of being a failure
• How living our values has transformed Nic’s and my life.

Nic’s website: nichooper.co.uk

Follow Nic’s on twitter @nichooper7!

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