Recent research indicates that the majority of postsecondary students in North America "feel overwhelming anxiety," an issue that has also been observed in many other regions and is negatively impacting students' academic performance and overall well-being. This article reports the results of our interdisciplinary analysis of innovative ideas in cognitive science, learning models and mindsets, and current technological approaches that are aimed at understanding and addressing these anxiety and academic engagement issues. We identify the knowledge gaps and propose critical insights and research directions, such as the use of virtual reality (VR) and computer games, to fill those gaps and deal with the anxiety problem.