Anxiety over fire alarms!

Hi lovely. I'm a student who is on the spectrum and I live in halls, and although I mostly love it (I have a studio flat so I have my own space; I lived in a shared flat in my first year and made some really lovely friends, though, even if we did have our fair share of drama!) fire alarms are something that stresses me out as well! I feel exactly the same as you - it's not so much the noise (although the noise is pretty horrible!) but more the jump scare. Unfortunately they're a part of life in Halls as, as you say, they're to keep everyone safe. Ours get tested every Tuesday lunchtime, and knowing when it's going to be tested puts my mind at ease when it does happen. It might be worth talking to your student support services and explaining that you're on the spectrum (if they don't already know) and that you find the fire alarm overwhelming, and that it would really help you if they could tell you when they're going to test the alarms? As others have said, apart from testing and an occasional drill (which literally happens at most twice a year, and usually only once; it's just to ensure that everyone knows the safety procedures if there were ever a real fire) it's quite uncommon that fire alarms go off in halls. Honestly, the first step towards conquering a fear is to acknowledge you're scared, so perhaps acknowledging that it bothers you may help you along in managing it. An important thing to remember is that a fire alarm, while noisy and unarguably quite anxiety-provoking, won't harm you - if anything it will protect you from harm. Try to think of it as your slightly noisy, OTT, squealy friend! I would honestly recommend that you stay in halls as much as possible, as it does help you focus and it also it helps you build up your social life. Being at uni is one of the best things ever, and as a third year I advise you to enjoy it as much as you can (even though I know that's easier said than done sometimes, especially this year) because it really does go by so quickly! I really hope you get the right support - there is plenty of it at uni if you need it. A pesky fire alarm shouldn't have the right to ruin your fun!

Hi lovely. I'm a student who is on the spectrum and I live in halls, and although I mostly love it (I have a studio flat so I have my own space; I lived in a shared flat in my first year and made some really lovely friends, though, even if we did have our fair share of drama!) fire alarms are something that stresses me out as well! I feel exactly the same as you - it's not so much the noise (although the noise is pretty horrible!) but more the jump scare. Unfortunately they're a part of life in Halls as, as you say, they're to keep everyone safe. Ours get tested every Tuesday lunchtime, and knowing when it's going to be tested puts my mind at ease when it does happen. It might be worth talking to your student support services and explaining that you're on the spectrum (if they don't already know) and that you find the fire alarm overwhelming, and that it would really help you if they could tell you when they're going to test the alarms? As others have said, apart from testing and an occasional drill (which literally happens at most twice a year, and usually only once; it's just to ensure that everyone knows the safety procedures if there were ever a real fire) it's quite uncommon that fire alarms go off in halls. Honestly, the first step towards conquering a fear is to acknowledge you're scared, so perhaps acknowledging that it bothers you may help you along in managing it. An important thing to remember is that a fire alarm, while noisy and unarguably quite anxiety-provoking, won't harm you - if anything it will protect you from harm. Try to think of it as your slightly noisy, OTT, squealy friend! I would honestly recommend that you stay in halls as much as possible, as it does help you focus and it also it helps you build up your social life. Being at uni is one of the best things ever, and as a third year I advise you to enjoy it as much as you can (even though I know that's easier said than done sometimes, especially this year) because it really does go by so quickly! I really hope you get the right support - there is plenty of it at uni if you need it. A pesky fire alarm shouldn't have the right to ruin your fun!

Thank you so much! Your answer was so sweet. x I'm thinking of staying halls this week because I would love to have some independence. :)