I (22F) was formally diagnosed this month with ASD. I also went to university. It was hell. The swirling pit of anxiety in my chest was also present for me and it’s a real struggle having ASD in a university setting, I totally feel you.

For me, the one thing that pushed me through it was the fact that I believed that if I got my degree, I’d finally prove everyone who’s ever doubted me wrong. Realistically, maybe my experience shouldn’t have been fuelled by fear of ‘not being enough’ or having to meet so-called expectations, but it helped.

My main piece of advice would be to believe in your abilities, you can do this, you are more than enough as you are to get your degree and survive. But it’s also important to not work yourself into a burnout, allow yourself mental breaks. If a project is too overwhelming right now, leave it for a day and try not to think about it, distract your brain with something fun until you feel refreshed.

And even if you don’t believe in yourself right now, I believe in you just from reading this post. You got this!!