A gap year is not automatically brave, and starting university immediately is not automatically safe. The useful question is what each option lets you learn or build.
Compare the money, structure, deadlines and evidence you will have twelve months from now. A good gap year needs a plan; a good degree choice needs more than fear of falling behind.
Do not choose the option that only makes today's anxiety quieter.
Set a review date and define what success looks like. The goal is not to avoid uncertainty; it is to make uncertainty concrete enough to work with.