Hello,
I was wondering what y’all with major social anxiety experienced in Tokyo!
Now that I’m past the initial excitement over possibly moving to Tokyo (pitched project was put on hold, but I’ll likely be brought over in the coming months), I’d love to know how y’all combat (or lose) to your anxiety struggles.
I’ve got pretty bad social anxiety that worsened after COVID lockdowns (evolved into a bit of agoraphobia), but it seems like living in Tokyo presents a lot of opportunities to try and overcome it, at multiple levels. Ie, solo dining options, playing the gaijin card if I come across as clumsy in conversation, etc) but at the same time since I’d be working fully remote, I feel like I might be prone to self isolation.
What are some ways y’all have used to avoid that? Are there any communities you’ve joined that you found comfortable? Do you feel like (in general) you’ve taken active steps to address your anxiety?
I don’t really enjoy drinking so I’m not overly excited about the tried and true “hang around a bar” recommendation I see on r/japanlife, but I’ll do it if I need to. 🥹 I can’t speak Japanese at all at the moment, but now that the timeline has been stretched, I intend to at least learn some basics. With that being said, I recognize that my social sphere might at the end of the revolve around other foreigners (assuming I make any!)
Edit: just to clarify – I don’t expect things to suddenly change! I just think the circumstances might present different opportunities to try and combat my anxiety in small steps. I’m going for work, and my social anxiety is just part of my day to day. Just looking for suggestions to mitigate and cope!
by fakethrow456away
