School Refusal
I have severe school refusal due to my anxiety, and it’s getting worse and I’m missing more and more of school, does anyone have any tips to help me? Whenever I even think about going to school I have panic attacks and when I’m there I do too, even just sitting in the parking lot, and today I actually went into school (long story short, my parents are divorced, I live with my mom most of the time, and my dad lives an hour away but he drove all the way up here to take me to school because I’ve missed so much,) so I was literally crying on my way in, which is normal for me and I used to be able to get over it, so the secretaries and teachers passing in the hall never really say anything, which I’m kind of glad of, but anyways I was walking through the halls literally not being able to breathe from an anxiety attack, and I was trying to be quiet because, yknow, it’s embarrassing to break down in school, anyways my mom came to get me, but I haven’t had an anxiety like that from school in like 2 or 3 years.
My parents are struggling as much as I am, and none of us know what to do. No motivation, no matter how big it is, can get me to go to school, like my brain wants to but my anxiety doesn’t let me.
@yourmidastouchonthechevydoor
Thank you for reaching out for support. It looks like going to school results in severe anxiety and panic attacks and because of that, you are finding it hard to be in school. I can only imagine how challenging this can be. Anxiety especially when severe has a way of making us feel helpless when faced with it.
One way to tackle anxiety and reduce it is through gradual exposure. It is a very effective and admittedly difficult way of dealing with anxiety. The importance of exposure is best understood when you understand the cycle of anxiety. You can learn more about it here.
Ideally, it would be good to work with a professional such as a therapist to help you work through the exercise/take the steps needed to feel better but if that is not an option then there are plenty of helpful tools available online. This video talks about exposure therapy. Your school may have a counselor/therapist available that can offer support.
I know in the moment it feels overwhelming and quite the challenge to navigate but I can assure you that if you slowly but steadily take steps in the direction of helping/managing your anxiety, better days will follow. It gets better!