Hi, I’m going to Japan with the group in august and I am so excited! I can’t wait to start this and just experience so much. But also there is so much anxiety about it all I know it will work out but it’s getting a lot and since it isn’t from one specific thing I can’t really do much. I have never had such a big move other than university which also ended in May so it’s a lot of changes all at once which is a little intense. I’m just wondering if anyone going or in Japan has any tips or tricks how they deal with it?
Edit: just wanted to thank everyone for the replies, I am doing better now seeing others in the same boat and trying to organise where I can do I really appreciate it!
18 comments
Also going this year on the program. This will be my first ever move on my own. What I’ve done is try and make a list of everything i need to buy/do/get done before we all leave. Plus, spend time with my family and friends and make as much money before we leave. Honestly, with all the uncertainty involved with the program, I have just found it better to focus on what I can control for now.
I like to do lots of research.
Research where you are going, get excited for where you’ll be after the move.
Research the stuff you want to be on top of before and after you go. Canceling a phone plan and finding a Japanese one, alerting banks you’re moving, getting an international driver’s permit, etc.
You can also try to check in with yourself and try to find the top three things that make you anxious about the move, and see how to address them to lessen the anxiety. Is it leaving your family? Is it going to a country where the language is different? Is it throwing yourself into something that feels unknown? I like to think through the options and see what hits me the strongest.
Big mood.
Seconding an abundance of research. It just helps you feel like you’re doing something productive which helps with anxiety. I also found talking to my pred and other people in the area helpful. Not about emotions or anything. Much to soon for that, you don’t know them. But just getting more information and hearing their experiences was really helpful. It made my placement feel more like a real place and not a big unknown.
That said though, I’d also recommend not having too many expectations going into things. If you have ideas in you head about how things “should” be, it can be harder to adjust when/if things don’t go as you expected.
Consider getting yourself set up with online therapy appointments. Moving to a new place is hard. A professional can help. I’ve been dealing with a roller coaster of emotions as I prepare to leave Japan and I’m so glad my have my therapist to help me through it
I was bricking it and I dealt with it by taking it day by day and not thinking about how big it was. Just going through the nmotions of each step before coming.
Then as the plane was about to land I was like what have I done!! But that soon passed.
As you say there’s nothing you can do so it does feel so scary. If I were you I’d look at nice places yoi can travel to and try and get excited to ward off the anxiety.
100% understandable. I get pretty bad moving anxiety whenever I’ve had to move.
I handled it by really figuring out which parts about moving are bothering me the most and then finding something that’ll make me feel better about it. In my case, not being around family and friends was a big part of the anxiety and though I’ve lived abroad before, the anxiety was still there. I talked to family and friends to plan trips back or just times to talk etc. They weren’t set in stone or anything, but they helped ease the anxiety.
I made sure to have everything prepared for my move early so I wouldn’t have to think about it and instead could focus on “saying goodbye” to my city before heading off.
I also avoided reading other people’s experiences in order to keep my expectations in check. Fully embracing the ESID made it easier to relax.
One day at a time. There’s not much in your control here, not until you’re at your placement.
The thing that helped me the most was connecting with my predecessor and other ALTs that were in the area. They were able to answer questions and give me tons of advice about what my life would look like here. I second the research thing. Making lists and compiling information ease my anxiety.
Start making lists. Lists of what you’ll want to pack/bring from hoke, lists of fun items you might want to buy once you arrive so you have something to be excited for (which, for me, was an angry cat plushie from a Japanese artist I’d had my eye on for years), a list of cleaning items to buy once you arrive (which implies doing research on what those items will be), etc. Making lists feels good and takes off a lot of the mental load.
Then, make a list of what you’re stressed about. Documents to bring? Make a list of which ones you’ll need for take-off/arrival. Stressed about not finding clothes you like here? Look at your closet and write what you need to buy at home before departing, etc.
And finally, take it a day at a time. My body somehow came down with a wild infection (I get sick very easily) despite being quarantined, and I was in poor shape for the first two weeks I arrived at my placement. I also didn’t have a functioning phone for the first four weeks in my town, and after a month and a half I finally had wi-fi. Did all of that suck? Yeah. But I feel like what helped me cope with it better was I had no expectations of how shit would go in the first place. Being like, “Whatever happens, I’ll deal,” really put me in a lot of comfort during all that.
Anxiety is completely normal in a situation like this! I know I was super anxious and stressed when I was preparing to move.
My advice would be to get everything in order as soon as possible. For example, I knew I should get an eye test and new glasses, and I knew I needed clothes. Buying them soon automatically made me feel significantly more prepared.
Then there was saying my goodbyes. It’s always hard, and it can be tempting to avoid it and say goodbye as late as possible. You should organise to meet up with everyone, at least once, bigger groups the better, and make them like little parties.
You and everyone else knows deep down that everything will work out, like you said in your post. You will arrive in Japan, shake off the jetlag, probably feel a little anxiety in orientation but it’ll dissipate quickly. Then there’s arriving at your placement, and all your first introductions and meetings, and getting everything set up. From my experience, that ended up being the OPPOSITE of anxiety inducing. Everyone was lovely.
No matter what happens, embrace the change as best you can and you will find your own ways to deal with your anxieties in ways you probably didn’t realise you could.
Edit: Just saw you commented your placement before. Welcome to Ehime!
As a person riddled with anxiety about anything I did what i needed to do to make my mind at ease. Wrote up a budget, googled apartments in the area in case I had to rent (I did). I went on google street view and explored the town/areas I would be living in. Made a list of shops I wanted to visit.(Eventually became really chummy with one of the bakers for these and now i get free bread a lot) This also helped me be able to ask questions and make easier conversations when my supervisor picked me up and we drove through the area.
When I found out what my apartment layout was like I blueprinted it and looked for furniture and layouts that would work in the space. (My pred left way before me so I was starting out fresh with only the required supplies from the school) I looked up shops where I could purchase things. Made meal plans of food I knew would be available and easy to find, so I could establish a routine. Tried on outfits and did some weird movements in them to make sure I wasn’t going to wear anything inappropriate (clothes shift on your body throughout the day, so I ended up leaving a bunch of stuff i initially thought was good)
I reached out to current jets in the prefecture and asked them some questions, and wrote a list of questions to ask my pred. Looked up events, festivals, and activities in my prefecture to explore. Watched some documentaries on my prefecture and Japan so I could learn more about it. *tried* to learn some japanese. I even found some sight seeing instagram pages so I could feel more connected to where I was going to be living instead of just trying to make a tangible picture in my head from imagination.
I started packing my suitcases way in advance and this helped me narrow things down that I didn’t really need. Packed up my room and all my belongings. Went through a Marie Kondo stage of getting rid of so much stuff, so I didn’t have to come back to it in a few years and wonder why I kept so much, while also trying to work with a bunch of accumulated stuff from japan. But lists, lists were my best friend to keep my brian calm, even if they seemed pointless. It helps you feel like you have control ( You don’t with pretty much any of this process, getting info, moving date, where, etc.)
When I arrived here I kind of just let the flow guide me. I made sure I took time to just exist and do nothing, so my mind and body could take a break from all the change. So many people try to cram their first few weeks with stuff which is fun, but one day you’ll wake up and be hit with exhaustion and I think that’s right about the time the honeymoon phase wears off. I tried to explore but kept a close routine back to that in the states too, so I don’t think I crashed as hard as other people. Often the honeymoon phase wears off right around recontracted and a few people make decisions they regret based on that low (Not all of course, sometimes leaving is the right choice.) But having more of a settled mindset helped me cope better with choices and change.
You will be ok, dont worry! Enjoy it and have fun.
I had a full blown panic attack at the airport, everything sunk in right at the last minute and blew my mind to pieces. I also used to have occasional “on the verge of” panic attacks randomly when teaching a class.
I would advise on top of your common coping mechanisms to try your best not to think about the situation too much, don’t become so focused on what you’re doing, try and stop the focus of where and what you’re doing and instead try to enjoy the environment.
Be immersed in the enjoyment of JET and don’t think too much of the absurdity of “Wow what the heck, I’m in Japan! This is crazy!”
Change it to this is awesome! Enjoyment kills anxiety.
In some ways it’s a bit like moving to university. You might be nervous or apprehensive before you go, but once you arrive, there’s so much going on you’ll forget all about your nervousness.
Just remember that you can always come home and you’ll feel a lot better
Remember that you won’t be in Japan forever, and that’s an exciting and nervous thing! Many people want to live here or visit but never get the chance to in their lifetime. So remember to take time for self care, do what makes you cozy, and enjoy the the experience while you can!
When I first came, I was most worried about what teaching classes would look like, considering I’m introverted and public speaking is a challenge. However things ended up way easier and tame than I convinced myself it would be.
I’m in a rural placement in the mountains with 7 different schools but they’re all so tiny and the community is so friendly.
There’s also plenty of resources to take care of your mental health here, especially during winter season when getting out might be more difficult. There’s plenty of events to network with other JETs and Japanese people to make friends, and you can always leave whenever you’d like if you feel you need to. So no worries! Maybe the anxiety is also excitement of the unknown
It seems like everyone here has good advice, but I just wanted to add:
There’s research saying that the symptoms of both excitement and anxiety are very similar – the only difference is the way your brain processes it.
So look for things to be excited about!
Like others have said, doing as much planning/research/list making as you can is very helpful!
Figure out what phone plan you want – find out if you need to unlock your phone or not, if you want to keep your present phone number for when you eventually return or for keeping in touch with friend/family over data/wifi you can transfer it to google voice, you might be able to get a sim card shipped to your present address, etc – I did these things, but there might be the option to pick up SIM cards at orientation. (Even still, I actually ended up switching phone plans shortly after I got there, even, to one with unlimited data on instagram/facebook/line/spotify since it took over a month for internet to be set up at my apartment)
Look up places you might want to check out in your placement – I was a barista, so looking up specialty coffee shops I could visit (and ended up making some friends at!) was a thing for me. What activities do you like doing? Food you like? Look up where you might be able to find these things. Join whatever local JET groups you can on facebook/discord, get in touch with other newly arrivng JETs in your area so you feel less alone in your worries.
I value personal comfort a LOT, so part of easing my anxiety was saving as much money as I could so I could avoid being in tough/uncomfortable situations – sure, the subsidized teachers housing I was placed in was dirt cheap and I could have saved a lot of money over my time there, but the apartment I inherited was also truly disgusting, and I felt much happier and comfortable finding a non-subsidized, more expensive (though still cheap by US standards) apartment, much closer to my school. Your start-up costs might be more than you expect (ESID of course), so feeling prepared for that can relieve some worries.
Even with all the preparations you can make, things still might go way worse OR way easier than you expect, so remind yourself that there’s only so much you can control and that either way, you will go with the flow and figure things out as they come. Having support and people you can talk things through with from friends/family back home, and potential friends at your new placement will be infinitely helpful. I had a terrible first few days in my placement, and pretty much immediately signed up for Talkspace lol, online therapy is likely an option for you, too! It was really helpful for me – it’s been 4 years since and while it was definitely a unique situation for me, I’ve luckily been able to continue with the therapist outside of Talkspace (though still online) and she’s been the best therapist I’ve ever had. Practice coping mechanisms and calming techniques, even if it’s just breathing exercises. Stay hydrated and well fed. Try to get good sleep.
You have the option for this to be only a year-long commitment! Or you could break contract if you end up having an exceptionally tough time! Or you could stay several years having the best time ever! COVID hit during my time on JET and I did end up breaking contract after weeks of sitting at my desk with nothing to do while classes were cancelled and everything seemed so uncertain and scary – I was only planning on staying a year and got worried I wouldn’t be able to actually leave when my contract was up (and it probably would’ve been really difficult to do). Some JETs I knew who had gone to their home countries for spring break actually got stuck back home and couldn’t come back. Sometimes I wish I had stayed, but there are plenty of things that happened after I left that I am thankful for. Whatever happens to you and whatever you decide on your time there, you can roll with the punches and figure it out!
hey! i don’t have much advice because i’m going in august too but i’m in a very similar situation to you. very excited and very nervous. i have only moved out for uni too, which i graduated from last year! and that uni was only an hour by car from where i live 😅. so i just wanted you to know you’re definitely not alone and i’m here to talk if you need it!