The nervous system doesn’t respond to pressure when it’s already in shutdown. That’s not a parenting failure. That’s biology. When a child is in dorsal vagal collapse - the deepest state of the threat response - the part of the brain responsible for learning, reasoning and responding to incentives is offline. Pushing harder doesn’t reach it. It can’t. Recovery started the day I stopped trying to override her nervous system and started working with it instead. 100 days. First choice university. 🍒 If you’re in it right now, save this for the hard days. - Jules (University mental health trained mum - who’s lived this). #schoolrefusal #schoolanxiety #schoolsupport #teenanxiety #childrensmentalhealth