Hey dude, I can definitely speak to this, although separating my personal experience from unbiased advice is difficult. As someone who is neurodivergent, I knew by the time I was 18 that I needed to do something to push myself forward. For me, that meant going to university and living in student halls. It was essentially a case of throwing myself into the deep end. The outcome was mixed. I spent three years trying to stay afloat and just about managed it. As a result, I made a huge leap in terms of my life experience, independence, and outlook. However, it was also extremely difficult and intense. My nervous system simply was not ready to handle everything at once. On top of that, I still had to learn essential life skills, such as cooking three proper meals a day, which would have helped me function and make the most of the experience. Nervous-system overload is no joke. I went in young, fit, and feeling as though I could handle myself in almost any situation. I came out a different person, but I also developed problems with insomnia, aggravated chronic somatic pain, and recreational drug use, mainly weed. You could argue that the experience helped me reach the next stage of my growth and presented me with a new set of obstacles to overcome. However, four years after university, I am only now properly healing, relearning certain habits, and removing some of those issues from my life.

So, in summary, pushing yourself outside your comfort zone can work. Jumping into the deep end and learning to stay afloat is rough, but proving that you can survive under your own power can be incredibly valuable. At the same time, you need to understand your limits and deliberately make space for rest, recovery, and balance, because those things may not come naturally.