I’m so scared for my daughter’s future

i am new to posting on the forum but I wondered if anyone has advice for coping with the sheer terror I feel when I think about my teenage daughter’s future? She doesn’t go to school because of such overwhelming anxiety and we have no social network around us. So life is extremely lonely for us both and the social isolation which I can see her facing is heartbreaking. I’m so scared for what her future may bring, particularly when I’m no longer around to be her advocate, her support, her company. Friends are non-existent for us both which is sadly a whole other story! When I suggest doing things, my daughter’s anxiety just overwhelms her to the point where we sit day after day doing very little. What can I do to help her? I don’t want this to be her life forevermore.

Parents
  • I’m not a parent but can imagine this must be a really scary time for you both. Does she have any special interests or hobbies? Maybe the best thing to start with would be for her to focus on enjoying what she can enjoy without going places? I’m suggesting this because it helped me in a similar situation a few years ago when I’d got to the point I was so anxious I didn’t want to leave the house. Just forget about it for a while and have as much fun as you can without leaving the house? Eventually I did then manage (want actually) to go to places related to my interests (crafts for me). For me small craft shops were a good first trip, then later I managed to go to craft courses (good because you focus on the craft so you don’t actually have to interact much) then later I actually joined a craft group. I think similar might work with many special interests? The people you meet through shared special interests (on-line or in real life) seem to be the ones I get on best with and I think a lot of other autistic people say the same. You automatically have something in common.

Reply
  • I’m not a parent but can imagine this must be a really scary time for you both. Does she have any special interests or hobbies? Maybe the best thing to start with would be for her to focus on enjoying what she can enjoy without going places? I’m suggesting this because it helped me in a similar situation a few years ago when I’d got to the point I was so anxious I didn’t want to leave the house. Just forget about it for a while and have as much fun as you can without leaving the house? Eventually I did then manage (want actually) to go to places related to my interests (crafts for me). For me small craft shops were a good first trip, then later I managed to go to craft courses (good because you focus on the craft so you don’t actually have to interact much) then later I actually joined a craft group. I think similar might work with many special interests? The people you meet through shared special interests (on-line or in real life) seem to be the ones I get on best with and I think a lot of other autistic people say the same. You automatically have something in common.

Children
No Data