Published on 12, July, 2020
My daughter just started at university and she's finding anxiety is crippling. She has an autism diagnosis. Now she is finding she is too anxious to go out of her room, and is really struggling. What advice do others have about this scenario?
She was adamant she wanted to try somewhere else away from home, and didn't take a year out either. I'm torn about what to do for the best, and worried about her mental health.
Just tell her it’s okay to stay in her room. Tell her she can spend as much time as she wants in there u til she feels like going out. That would be my advice. Forcing her to leave her room could lead to a meltdown or worse she might leave uni out of fear. You don’t want that I’d imagine.
The more she associates safety with her room the more she will begin to like uni and it won’t bother her anymore because she will know that she can always go back to her safe space because she will have created that association with the room and safety.