BuddhismFaith track after launchIssue available after launch
Olivia Bennett, 22
Olivia skipped tutorials to avoid speaking. A 6-week plan of small social experiments, volunteering on Saturdays and metta practice.
University studentSydney, AustraliaIssue: Social anxiety
Illustrative example. These people are made up to show how a plan works. They are not real users, and results differ from person to person.
Where Olivia started
Olivia rehearsed every sentence, sat at the back, and skipped tutorials where she might be asked to speak. She spent evenings scrolling, comparing herself with everyone online.
Goal
Speak once in every tutorial, and do one social thing a week she enjoys.
The science behind the plan
Every step comes from these methods, each backed by published research.
Behavioural experiments (CBT)
Write down the fear ("I’ll go red and everyone will notice"), do the step, then write what actually happened.
A beach clean-up crew every Saturday: a group with a shared job, so talking comes easily.
Source: Jenkinson et al. (2013), Volunteering and wellbeing: systematic review, BMC Public Health
Less scrolling
Social media capped at 30 minutes a day, and no scrolling before social events.
Source: Hunt et al. (2018), Limiting social media to 30 minutes a day lowered loneliness and low mood, Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology
A typical day
Experiment: ask one question in your tutorialScience · 5 min
Write what you feared, and what really happenedScience · 5 min
Phone in your bag for the first 10 minutes of classScience · 10 min
Loving-kindness for yourself and the people you’ll meetFaith · 10 min
Buddhism
Optional faith track
Olivia chose to add these. They sit next to the science steps, never instead of them. Sources are pending scholar review.
Loving-kindness (metta) meditation
Source: Karaniya Metta Sutta, Sutta Nipata 1.8
Why it fits: Turns attention outward and softens the inner critic, like the science steps.
Mindful walking to class
Source: Satipatthana Sutta, Majjhima Nikaya 10
Why it fits: Calm attention to the present instead of rehearsing.
These practices are data-based suggestions drawn from cited sutras. They are not instruction from a monk or Dharma teacher. Please consult a qualified teacher for personal guidance.