Hi there, I’m alex.

I’m a PhD, researcher and lecturer at Cambridge University. Throughout my life, I’ve been an academic overachiever - valedictorian in both high-school and uni, before starting my PhD as a Gates Scholar and obtaining the lectureship at Christ’s.

As a microeconomist, the thing that interests me most is understanding… well, people.

Why we make the decisions we make, and hold the views we hold.

In particular, I’m deeply fascinated by things not working as they should. Why do we form self-defeating beliefs about ourselves? Why do we procrastinate and quit on things prematurely? Why does do we slip into (digital) addiction and shame? 

More to the point: why are we anxious and what can we do about it?

Speaking of, these are not just academic curiosities of mine. To the surprise of no one browsing a site called “Anxious Alex”, anxiety’s something I’ve been dealing with my whole life - that (very loud) voice in our minds reminding us that we probably won’t measure up to whatever it is we’re attempting.

Reminding us of the futility of trying, and pointing out just how much better watching another Netflix show would be instead of working (hands up if you can relate!).

Anyway, many years ago (on my 24th birthday actually), after a particularly nasty panic attack, I had a good look at myself in the mirror and told myself “enough is enough” - it was time to take control and learn how to live with this.

Over the next few years, I became obsessed with figuring out where anxiety comes from and what to do about it. Many days were spent reading research papers, watching videos, talking to others, and just doing some good ol’ quality soul-searching.

What You’re About to Read Isn’t Perfect is the result of these years of work, a synthesis of the philosophies, practices and easy-to-implement habit changes which allow me not only to live with my anxious mind, but to thrive.

And as an academic, I just had to share my findings… Enjoy!

  • peer-reviewed published researcher

  • gates cambridge scholar

  • anxious mess

How my book will benefit you

While What You’re About to Read Isn’t Perfect mainly deals with anxiety and creativity, the things discussed in the book can help anyone struggling with any of the following:

  • low self-confidence

  • procrastination

  • digital addiction (a.k.a. not touching grass enough)

  • feelings of shame

  • writer’s block and other forms of creative hurdles

  • difficulty building habits that last

  • taking oneself too seriously

The book itself has two parts to it. The goal of Part 1 “Why Anxiety Sucks” is to dig to the heart of the problem - to have a discussion on where anxiety and low confidence come from, and to reflect on why they can affect our productivity.

Here we touch on a lot of fun stuff like procrastination, stigma, social anxiety, rabbits, feelings of shame and what happens after something we work on fails.

Part 2 “What to do About it” is all about concrete, easy-to-implement practices that help us thrive with an anxious mind, and actually get shit done.

You see, one of the biggest issues with much of the advice on anxiety is that it’s vague and honestly useless:

  • “You have to believe in yourself!”

  • “Don’t let what others say get to you!”

  • “Trust that things will work out well!”

Gee thanks a lot, I’m cured!

The type of advice I discuss in my book differs in that (for the most part) I focus on habits you have a great deal of control over, such as:

  • taking daily selfies to keep track of your mood

  • graphing your progress on a particular task

  • doing literally nothing

  • building a motivation stash

  • getting naked (eh, some of these you have to read the book for them to make sense)

  • and so forth…

Part 2 is all about to-the-point changes that can improve your grit and perseverance, making you less sensitive to setbacks when they do arise.

If that all sounds good, sign up for the mailing list here.

A FEW MORE OF MY QUIRKS

Since you’re still around, you’re prolly interested - so here’s a few more of the things that I like:

TEACHING

Teaching is part of my job and is something I’ve enjoyed doing ever since I was a little kid. I still remember having my mom buy me a whiteboard so that I can explain to her and my brother what I’d learn in school.

Now, teaching at Cambridge, seeing my students’ eyes light up when they understand something I’m explaining makes me feel warm and fuzzy every time.

JOURNALING

This is something I touch on at length in my book, but in our fight against anxiety and low self-esteem, data is one of our strongest weapons. We want to keep track, as much as possible, of the progress we’re making on our projects, and of our emotions in order to combat any inner doubt.

Therefore, everyday I journal, taking note of my worries and fears, but also of the things I’m grateful for. I know it sounds cheesy, but it’s such a powerful habit to adopt that I would never abandon at this point.

If you’re curious about what exactly my journaling looks like, drop me a message!

Here’s the thing: the moment I stop exercising, eating well, and catching a good amount of shut-eye, my anxiety goes into fucking overdrive.

So I make sure that I take care of my physical health in order to stay in top shape psychologically as well - heavens know that my mental health needs as much help as it can get.

(This btw is something I also discuss at length in my book)

Anyway, I’m lucky that I enjoy cooking and let me tell you, I can make one mean paella when I want to.

ANIMATION

READING

I enjoy reading both non-fiction and fiction, particularly fantasy. Put some elves and mysterious magical powers in your story and honey I’m sold. Add some dramatic irony - now we talking.

Current fiction faves are The Stormlight Archive (specifically the first two books) and Children of Time.

Current non-fiction faves are Ignore Everybody and What My Bones Know.

Also, while watching TV is not something I do regularly, I gotta give a shoutout to my favorite series: Breaking Bad and (the good seasons) of Game of Thrones.

HEALTH & EXERCISE

Don’t get me wrong, I’m by no means a professional animator, but there’s something so fun about seeing drawings come to life. How can you look at this and not feel your heart swell with joy?

I also think memes and humor are extremely powerful tools for the purpose of conveying messages. You know what they say, if an image is worth 1,000 words then a meme is worth 1,000,000.

Don’t believe me? Here’s a fun little animation I made about anxiety. Gets the point across, doesn’t it?

GAMES

Gaming and I have a complicated history. A major source of digital addiction, learning how to build a healthy relationship with gaming (and consuming online content more generally!) is something that I’m extremely proud of.

In fact, an entire chapter in my book is dedicated to understanding where addiction comes from, and what we can do about it.

Nowadays, I still game whenever life lets me… without, however, the feelings of shame and regret that once plagued this hobby.

On a lighter note, I’m a huge Nintendo stan (Mario and Zelda were my childhood, and continue to be my faves). I’m also a World of Warcraft fan (I did mention mention my liking of elves and mysterious magical powers earlier didn’t I?). For those in the know, I have well over 700 mounts in the game now, and gotta say I’m quite happy wih that number.