Year 10 Work Experience - What if they won't go?!

[member]

Had a stressful morning, dd(15) starting work experience today in a charity shop. Normally gets up for school with no prompting - not so this morning. Anxiety through the roof, thought she was going to vomit but just retching, really didn't want to go. Somehow have got her there (think it was possible shame of peers finding out she hadn't gone which was part of my cajoling).

Have agreed to meet her at lunch; dreading a repeat performance/refusal to go back in for the afternoon and all the mornings this week. Got a headache from tense neck and shoulders. She is so frustrating - gets anxious about speaking to people/general anxiety about doing new things but any attempt to get her to plan/think ahead to minimise stress meets with apathy/derision.

Don't know why I'm posting this really, just to offload and see whether anybody else has been through similar and what happened if you physically couldn't get your teen to go.

Hi. My own DD suffered horrible anxiety but it kicked in slightly later. I completely get your own feelings about it, helplessness! She might actually enjoy it, take comfort from that.
If she hates it I'd suggest you ring the school and see if you could get her in somewhere else a little less formidable to her. Maybe a Primary school? Sometimes being with younger children is less scary.
My own DD got better and is now a first year nursing student. She swears by mindfulness, maybe your own DD could try that?
Good luck.

Nerves are normal. Will do her good to realise that a new situation isn't as awful as she may imagine. I would definitely encourage her to see it through.

How did she get on this morning?