Auckland Nickolayou is stretched out on the hallway floor of a busy University of Saskatchewan building as students make their way around him.
Some look down as they pass. Most keep walking.
“This very idea used to give me so much anxiety, but I could lay here for hours,” Nickolayou says.
It’s one of several personal challenges he records and posts online as he works on managing his social anxiety. He’s approached strangers, done handstands in public and explored different ways to get his heart racing.
The goal isn’t to eliminate the nerves. It’s to get better at doing things despite them.
Getting comfortable being uncomfortable
Nickolayou says he was never particularly shy. He considered himself outgoing, but certain social interactions could still make him nervous.
That became especially noticeable when he pursued an interest in making videos. For years, posting videos online consistently was a New Year’s resolution he couldn’t seem to keep.
Even pressing record changed how he felt. When filming in public, he’d seek out quieter places away from other people.
In January 2025, he decided to change that.
Nickolayou has amassed more than 120,000 followers on TikTok, and one of his videos has been viewed more than 40 million times. (Travis Reddaway/CBC)
Nickolayou committed to posting regularly, and as the camera became easier to handle, the crowds he’d avoided became part of the exercise. He began filming around more people, approaching strangers and raising the stakes.
Nickolayou has amassed more than 120,000 followers on TikTok, and one of his videos has been viewed more than 40 million times.
He compares his progress to building a wall.
“It’s about creating a small little brick, laying it, making it solid, and doing that every single day,” he says. “And over the course of a year or two years, eventually, you have a wall.”
Those small steps eventually led to much bigger ones, including lying down in the middle of a crowded university building.
Lying on the floor is one of several challenges Nickolayou records and posts online as he works on managing his social anxiety. He’s approached strangers, done handstands in public and explored different ways to get his heart racing. (Travis Reddaway/CBC)
Nickolayou says the skills he’s picked up along the way extend beyond his videos.
“It’s a skill that translates very well not only in the drama world, but also in business, in a job interview, negotiating a salary even,” he says.
“These are situations where the only way you get better at them is by actually being in those situations,” he added. “And with enough practice, they become easier.”
The science behind social anxiety
Nickolayou’s approach has parallels with a well-established psychological treatment.
Lisa Gaylor, a registered psychologist at the U of S, said exposure therapy involves facing feared situations rather than avoiding them.
The situation varies. One person might struggle to give a presentation, while another might compare greeting strangers to the earth caving in on them.
Gaylor called Nickolayou’s approach “very brave stuff,” but said treatment wouldn’t necessarily begin with something as intense as his challenges. Instead, a person might start with something manageable and work their way up.
Lisa Gaylor said social anxiety is highly treatable and professional support is available for people who find it significantly interfering with their lives. (Travis Reddaway/CBC)
“The way that the fear response works is that you have this initial kind of jump in your anxiety, and if you can kind of outlast it and wait for it to come back down, you get what’s called a habituation effect,” she explained.
“Over time, that anxiety response gets more and more diminished because your body learns that you’re actually safe.”
Gaylor said social anxiety is highly treatable and professional support is available for people who find it significantly interfering with their lives.
As for Nickolayou, his efforts weren’t limited to what he was doing in front of a camera. In 2024, someone suggested he try acting, and he soon found it tested many of the same things he’d been working on through his videos — being watched, put on the spot and unsure of how he’d come across.
Stepping into the spotlight
In one of his first acting exercises, Nickolayou had to stand in front of his classmates and speak for one minute on a topic he was given on the spot.
He remembers feeling the pressure almost immediately, his breathing changing as all eyes turned to him.
Nickolayou says he quickly “fell in love with that feeling.”
He kept taking classes and has since performed in university productions. Inspiration led him to also enroll into the U of S bachelor of fine arts acting program.
Ken MacKenzie, an assistant professor in the university’s drama department, directed Nickolayou in a production that required him to sing and play guitar in front of an audience, despite not being comfortable doing either.
Ken MacKenzie is an assistant professor at the University of Saskatchewan’s drama department. (Travis Reddaway/CBC)
MacKenzie said part of the lesson was letting go of the result and embracing the process.
“In drama, it’s rarely the case that there is a right way to do it,” he said. “There’s just a way to do it, and everybody’s way is going to be unique.”
Nickolayou doesn’t suggest that others start by lying on the floor in a public place. For someone looking to push themselves socially, he says it can be as simple as holding a door, offering a compliment or striking up a conversation.
Nickolayou says he still gets anxious in unfamiliar situations, including before interviews or when trying something new. (Travis Reddaway/CBC)
Even for him, progress hasn’t meant becoming fearless.
Nickolayou says he still gets anxious in unfamiliar situations, including before interviews or when trying something new. What’s changed is how much weight he gives that feeling.
After years of putting himself on the spot, he’s become less interested in waiting until he feels comfortable enough to act.
He says the point is learning to do it anxiously.