Exam Study Expert: ace your exams with the science of learning 221. Your Emotional Toolkit for Academic Stress - with Dr Jennifer Veilleux
Mar 22, 2026
Dr Jennifer Veilleux, clinical psychologist and author of Open to Emotion, shares research-based tools for managing academic stress. She explains how emotions are generated, when negative feelings help or harm, and the thinking threshold for action. Learn about cognitive reappraisal, plan B strategies to lower pressure, and why procrastination is often an emotional avoidance tactic.
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Reframe Exams As Learning Moments
- Reframe exams as learning opportunities or part of a bigger picture to reduce anxiety.
- Veilleux recommends reminding yourself it's not always the only test and that tests can show progress rather than define you.
Plan B Lowers Anxiety And Breaks Rumination
- Create realistic Plan B options to reduce crippling pressure on Plan A.
- Veilleux links planning alternatives to cognitive flexibility and reduced rumination about a single outcome.
Procrastination Is Short Term Emotion Management
- Procrastination is driven by short-term emotion regulation, not laziness.
- People avoid tasks to escape immediate distress, wrongly assuming future selves will feel more capable, which typically worsens the pile-up.
