Breaking down big challenges into small steps
Being prepared for feelings of panic
Deep breathing to stay grounded & focused
"As a college student, it's of no surprise to anyone that we get assignments that are 10, 50 pages long, and they can be daunting at first. But with the help of the app and later with the reassurance of my coach, [the 'Small Goals' skill] was just to break down the mountain to minute levels. And this could just be as simple as just looking at a simple question of your research.
Just one step at a time […] until you finalize your project. This is something that I still use, and that i think I'm going to be using for the rest of my life."
— Bryan, STAND at ELAC participant
"The skill that I found most helpful was […] a running exercise, where you run a short distance for a short amount of time, and then you would pause and it would raise your heart [rate].
It's supposed to simulate a panic attack, so that when you do have an actual panic attack, you'll know what to do and know what it feels like."
— Sofia, STAND at ELAC participant
"The skill I found most helpful was deep breaths, because as someone with really high anxiety, I felt like that was a really, really good way for me to stay grounded and so stay focused."
— Andrea, STAND at ELAC participant
Staying in the moment to prevent overthinking
"The skill that I found the most helpful was […] to silence all the noise out and try to live in the moment."
— Fernando, STAND at ELAC participant
Protocol ID: IRB#22-000635; UCLA IRB Approved; Approval date: 04/14/25; Committee: Medical IRB 3
