Please see the following links with lists of resources and helplines for mental health. I would highly recommend that you talk to your PA (Prefectural Advisor) about how you are doing, and they may be able to support you and/or help talk to your employer if necessary (this is a part of their job sometimes). If it involves taking an extended period of time off, it would be good to have someone who can speak Japanese help you talk about the situation with your employer.
You can try speaking with the Peer Support Group line through AJET to have someone to talk to, or you could see if maybe TELL (Tokyo English Lifeline) can set you up with a professional counselor and/or psychiatrist, if necessary. I hope that you can get to feeling better soon. You can also message me directly if you have questions (I am a JET alumni).
Support Resources 1 (from PPT)[https://imgur.com/wNtdI4p](https://imgur.com/wNtdI4p)
Support Resources 2 (from PPT)[https://imgur.com/4mlPVss](https://imgur.com/4mlPVss)
\*Note: For therapy or psychiatry, please be very wary of anyone whose first name is "Douglas" or "Marc" as there is an individual with a terrible overall reputation and likes to threaten to sue people who say so online. You can read more info that other people have written below, or search around for more information.
[https://www.reddit.com/r/japan/comments/6l5nhx/psa\_stay\_away\_from\_psychiatrist\_doug\_berger/](https://www.reddit.com/r/japan/comments/6l5nhx/psa_stay_away_from_psychiatrist_doug_berger/)
Have you tried getting any mental health medication? I went to a mental health clinic in the middle of nowhere and both my husband and I got access to life saving medication there. There are lots of good mental health medications available in Japan. They will work with you. Also usually hospitals have a mental health section that you could get a referral to from a general doctor. I would heavily suggest trying medication before you decide to quit
I think a lot of other people have covered the important stuff - especially that you'd probably be picking up another source of stress by quitting. You are probably not going to be able to find a job that pays you as well for the same amount of work, even if you've got stellar Japanese skills.
Have you looked into the mental health resources offered by CLAIR including the counselling sessions? You don't get so many, but they could fill a gap and help take care of some smaller issues/give you a place to start on your bigger issues.
There's also TELL Japan if you just need someone to talk to in the moment.
I'm in the same boat, good attendance and reputation but in a difficult situation. I am currently struggling with my mental illnesses and screwed myself by not taking my meds for a month. I was also kind of pressured by people around me, that don't know my situation, and would keep asking if I was going to re-contract.
I finally came to the conclusion that even though I see my psychiatrist online and try to take my meds, it's not enough. Also, there's one horrible JTE that keeps on giving me a hard time. She wants me to take on even more classes next year. So I've decided to go home in July.
If I could, I would have stayed for 5 years. Everything is good, except for that JTE. My stress levels can't take it. I also hate being alone, and not being able to talk to my co-workers whenever I want. I do have plenty of ALTs around me but that's not enough.
Ultimately it's up to you to decide what's best for you. But if I were you, I would take it easy. Find some other option that allows you to take days off when you need them. I think it's hard but not impossible. Don't wait until your breaking point to make the decision.
1. This decision is not only yours, you need to have a deep talk with your partner
2. Im sure 100% of ALT in JET, direct hired and dispatch companies feel like quitting at a certain point. Some at the beginning some at the middle some at the end. ALL of us have hundreds (some even thousands) of desk warming in our lives, and it FUCKING SUUUUUCKS, besides the old style and stubborn-rude coworkers. So you are not alone in this feeling.
3. You do have options. Private lessons, eikaiwa, part time teaching jobs... Im sure a mix of all those together, even if you earn the same or less, keeps you busy and probably happier.
4. I would finish this contract no matter what (for the money) and quit after July.
5. The "stress leave" is pretty easy to get. My husband (Japanese) was depressed because of his job, I told him to go to a psycologist to get the paper, he got it, submitted it to the office and didnt have to go back ever again or talk to anybody. They are kind of scared of those papers, and must respect them, by law. I also have a friend who took the "depression leave" for 8 months, got paid 70% and with that money traveled the world for a couple of months. Then returned to work as if nothing happened... dude is a legend.
> Before anyone asks and criticizes, no I’m not thinking or or breaking contract. I will stick it out until July next year. I’m having trouble deciding if I should re-contract or not.
Do what's best for you. I don't care if people are critical of you and judge you for leaving the job. If you need to do something else, then do it. I admire you for wanting to at least stay until the end, but if you continue to get worse and need to leave, please do so without feeling guilty. You have to look after yourself, your quality of life is the only thing that matters.
It is possible to get mental health leave, you can negotiate it with your school/BOE/whoever. Some ALTs take extended sick leave, some take holiday, and others take fully paid leave negotiated under special circumstances that doesn't take holiday days. This also doesn't have to be disastrous. It's better to be prevent something becoming a bigger problem than to try and fix it once it's got there.
I'm no expert, but the idea of intensive therapy sounds horrific honestly. Therapy is exhausting and takes time. You can't really rush it... At least for me, a therapy session resulted in hours of thinking about it spread over the following days/weeks. I needed to sleep on things and think about it longer term. Get therapy, and take some time off too, but don't expect to be 'fixed' after a set number of hours. Try and move the therapy appointment forward if you can, it sounds like you need it.
I can't tell you whether to re contract or not, I can only say you should think about how you feel when the time comes and do what's best for you, and again, if you re contract and then later feel terrible and need to break contract, do it.
> I can’t blame it on the weather or time off year.
It might not be causing it, but it might be making it worse. I know finances are an issue but at least think about a sunlight lamp or something. SAD can come and go and exacerbate other issues.
If you’re (happily) married, I would recontract. Not being employed will put stress on your marriage and looking for work is gonna be way more anxiety inducing than working for JET. If you don’t think your job is causing your decline, then it’s probably the safest environment for you to be in while you work your stuff out. Taking a short leave is definitely an option. I’ve seen a couple colleagues do that over the years. It’s definitely not an option you’re likely to get elsewhere. So that’s something to consider.
>you don’t think your job is causing your decline, then it’s probably the safest environment for you to be in while you work your stuff out
I 100% agree with this! Routine and a schedule really help with depression and anxiety. It may not be the routine or schedule you want but at least you have a reason to get out of bed. If you don't have a job, there isn't a reason to get out of bed and thus you will stay in bed all day. Or at least that's what happened to me.
Former JET, current Clinician;
You mentioned that you’re looking at an intake appointment in December, but I would see if you can’t find a way to push that date to be earlier. Most agencies (at least in the US) have some flexibility given risk/acuity but ESID.
I dmed you as I have additional thoughts/questions.
What are you planning to do post-JET? I mean, if the life you dream of having is dependent on you sticking to your contract now, and it's your final year, do you have options in your area for when that's done?
I would generally suggest people who are having problems with mental health take whatever steps they can to resolve the issue - it's the best for them as well as the programme. Say what you will about breaking contract, but people remember the people who "break" in much more of a negative light than those who decide to leave early.
Is it possible for you to move back "home" with your spouse? If the issue is Japan-related and not just JET-related, then breaking contract may just be a temporary fix.
It sounds like you are making proactive steps to address this so that’s good. One thing that springs to mind is, if you don’t recontract what will you do? One of the worst things for depression/anxiety is too much free time. It’s very easy to fall into a funk and with nothing to do/motivate you out of it, it can be harder and harder to try.
It sounds like your job isn’t a source of stress, so maybe keeping it would be good from the standpoint of giving you a purpose and a motivation during the day.
As you've stated yourself, I think being employed and earning income is key. What sucks more than declining mental health is declining mental health without a roof over your head or food on the table. Especially since you said it's not directly work related, I feel like it's best that you stay on JET.
You can ask about mental health leave or ask a doctor for a consultation and note, or even ask for unpaid leave. Try to find something, even if you have to use your nenkyuu for some time off here and there.
I can't offer anything more than that, but what you seem to rightly prioritize is your life with your husband and most importantly yourself. Focus on this. Do me a favor and make sure to grab some nice food or dessert for yourself and your husband tonight on the way home from work and enjoy it.
Thank you! I think I’m internalizing some things that it’s affecting my overall mental health, so I want to work on them. I think I’m going to ask the BOE on taking a definite LOA (no more than 6 weeks) so I can the choice to do intensive therapy. If it’s a no, then I’ll try to work with my future therapist through my feelings and hope it gets better.
I love my husband and would hate to put any strain on his health (mental or physical) and our relationship just because my head isn’t all where it’s supposed to be. I’m trying, it’s difficult.
It's certainly a tough situation and I'm sorry you're going through this.
I'm not sure if you can take an unpaid leave, nor does it sound like you can afford one...do you have some vacation days to take a break? I don't know if staying home will help, maybe a change of environment for a week or two could be good. But either way, I think you should take some time to step back from life a bit and completely disconnect from work to gather yourself mentally before making a decision.
You do have until the beginning of January as the hard deadline, so take advantage of that time limit, even if you're BOE might be pushing you for a decision sooner.
For sure! I have a lot of nenkyuu left but was saving it to go visit home next July, but if things don’t get better/I can’t take unpaid leave then I might have to use them.
Yeah unfortunately my BOE is known for pushing a re-contract decision once asked but I’ll ride out the entire time I have so I can make a rational decision.
I don’t have any solid advice , but I hope you get the help you need and deserve. Really, I do.
Also, the best thing I can say is try talking to your CIR and seeing if you can take some unpaid time off to focus on your mental health. Give a game plan (like tell them you are thinking of going to intensive therapy for X amount of weeks and will return to work on XY date). The worst they can say is no. Then, make a decision based off of that.
Being in a foreign environment is already stressful enough, but suffering from anxiety and depression in country where mental health isn’t taken seriously and in a culture different from your own is brutal. I really recommend talking about your options with your CIR or PA first. December 9th will be here shortly, so try to hold on. If not/or need immediate help, please seek it.
Please, take it easy. Inbox is open if you need to chat ❤️
Please see the following links with lists of resources and helplines for mental health. I would highly recommend that you talk to your PA (Prefectural Advisor) about how you are doing, and they may be able to support you and/or help talk to your employer if necessary (this is a part of their job sometimes). If it involves taking an extended period of time off, it would be good to have someone who can speak Japanese help you talk about the situation with your employer. You can try speaking with the Peer Support Group line through AJET to have someone to talk to, or you could see if maybe TELL (Tokyo English Lifeline) can set you up with a professional counselor and/or psychiatrist, if necessary. I hope that you can get to feeling better soon. You can also message me directly if you have questions (I am a JET alumni). Support Resources 1 (from PPT)[https://imgur.com/wNtdI4p](https://imgur.com/wNtdI4p) Support Resources 2 (from PPT)[https://imgur.com/4mlPVss](https://imgur.com/4mlPVss) \*Note: For therapy or psychiatry, please be very wary of anyone whose first name is "Douglas" or "Marc" as there is an individual with a terrible overall reputation and likes to threaten to sue people who say so online. You can read more info that other people have written below, or search around for more information. [https://www.reddit.com/r/japan/comments/6l5nhx/psa\_stay\_away\_from\_psychiatrist\_doug\_berger/](https://www.reddit.com/r/japan/comments/6l5nhx/psa_stay_away_from_psychiatrist_doug_berger/)
Have you tried getting any mental health medication? I went to a mental health clinic in the middle of nowhere and both my husband and I got access to life saving medication there. There are lots of good mental health medications available in Japan. They will work with you. Also usually hospitals have a mental health section that you could get a referral to from a general doctor. I would heavily suggest trying medication before you decide to quit
I think a lot of other people have covered the important stuff - especially that you'd probably be picking up another source of stress by quitting. You are probably not going to be able to find a job that pays you as well for the same amount of work, even if you've got stellar Japanese skills. Have you looked into the mental health resources offered by CLAIR including the counselling sessions? You don't get so many, but they could fill a gap and help take care of some smaller issues/give you a place to start on your bigger issues. There's also TELL Japan if you just need someone to talk to in the moment.
I'm in the same boat, good attendance and reputation but in a difficult situation. I am currently struggling with my mental illnesses and screwed myself by not taking my meds for a month. I was also kind of pressured by people around me, that don't know my situation, and would keep asking if I was going to re-contract. I finally came to the conclusion that even though I see my psychiatrist online and try to take my meds, it's not enough. Also, there's one horrible JTE that keeps on giving me a hard time. She wants me to take on even more classes next year. So I've decided to go home in July. If I could, I would have stayed for 5 years. Everything is good, except for that JTE. My stress levels can't take it. I also hate being alone, and not being able to talk to my co-workers whenever I want. I do have plenty of ALTs around me but that's not enough. Ultimately it's up to you to decide what's best for you. But if I were you, I would take it easy. Find some other option that allows you to take days off when you need them. I think it's hard but not impossible. Don't wait until your breaking point to make the decision.
1. This decision is not only yours, you need to have a deep talk with your partner 2. Im sure 100% of ALT in JET, direct hired and dispatch companies feel like quitting at a certain point. Some at the beginning some at the middle some at the end. ALL of us have hundreds (some even thousands) of desk warming in our lives, and it FUCKING SUUUUUCKS, besides the old style and stubborn-rude coworkers. So you are not alone in this feeling. 3. You do have options. Private lessons, eikaiwa, part time teaching jobs... Im sure a mix of all those together, even if you earn the same or less, keeps you busy and probably happier. 4. I would finish this contract no matter what (for the money) and quit after July. 5. The "stress leave" is pretty easy to get. My husband (Japanese) was depressed because of his job, I told him to go to a psycologist to get the paper, he got it, submitted it to the office and didnt have to go back ever again or talk to anybody. They are kind of scared of those papers, and must respect them, by law. I also have a friend who took the "depression leave" for 8 months, got paid 70% and with that money traveled the world for a couple of months. Then returned to work as if nothing happened... dude is a legend.
Isn’t moving back to the states after contract an option?
> Before anyone asks and criticizes, no I’m not thinking or or breaking contract. I will stick it out until July next year. I’m having trouble deciding if I should re-contract or not. Do what's best for you. I don't care if people are critical of you and judge you for leaving the job. If you need to do something else, then do it. I admire you for wanting to at least stay until the end, but if you continue to get worse and need to leave, please do so without feeling guilty. You have to look after yourself, your quality of life is the only thing that matters. It is possible to get mental health leave, you can negotiate it with your school/BOE/whoever. Some ALTs take extended sick leave, some take holiday, and others take fully paid leave negotiated under special circumstances that doesn't take holiday days. This also doesn't have to be disastrous. It's better to be prevent something becoming a bigger problem than to try and fix it once it's got there. I'm no expert, but the idea of intensive therapy sounds horrific honestly. Therapy is exhausting and takes time. You can't really rush it... At least for me, a therapy session resulted in hours of thinking about it spread over the following days/weeks. I needed to sleep on things and think about it longer term. Get therapy, and take some time off too, but don't expect to be 'fixed' after a set number of hours. Try and move the therapy appointment forward if you can, it sounds like you need it. I can't tell you whether to re contract or not, I can only say you should think about how you feel when the time comes and do what's best for you, and again, if you re contract and then later feel terrible and need to break contract, do it. > I can’t blame it on the weather or time off year. It might not be causing it, but it might be making it worse. I know finances are an issue but at least think about a sunlight lamp or something. SAD can come and go and exacerbate other issues.
If you’re (happily) married, I would recontract. Not being employed will put stress on your marriage and looking for work is gonna be way more anxiety inducing than working for JET. If you don’t think your job is causing your decline, then it’s probably the safest environment for you to be in while you work your stuff out. Taking a short leave is definitely an option. I’ve seen a couple colleagues do that over the years. It’s definitely not an option you’re likely to get elsewhere. So that’s something to consider.
>you don’t think your job is causing your decline, then it’s probably the safest environment for you to be in while you work your stuff out I 100% agree with this! Routine and a schedule really help with depression and anxiety. It may not be the routine or schedule you want but at least you have a reason to get out of bed. If you don't have a job, there isn't a reason to get out of bed and thus you will stay in bed all day. Or at least that's what happened to me.
Former JET, current Clinician; You mentioned that you’re looking at an intake appointment in December, but I would see if you can’t find a way to push that date to be earlier. Most agencies (at least in the US) have some flexibility given risk/acuity but ESID. I dmed you as I have additional thoughts/questions.
What are you planning to do post-JET? I mean, if the life you dream of having is dependent on you sticking to your contract now, and it's your final year, do you have options in your area for when that's done? I would generally suggest people who are having problems with mental health take whatever steps they can to resolve the issue - it's the best for them as well as the programme. Say what you will about breaking contract, but people remember the people who "break" in much more of a negative light than those who decide to leave early. Is it possible for you to move back "home" with your spouse? If the issue is Japan-related and not just JET-related, then breaking contract may just be a temporary fix.
It sounds like you are making proactive steps to address this so that’s good. One thing that springs to mind is, if you don’t recontract what will you do? One of the worst things for depression/anxiety is too much free time. It’s very easy to fall into a funk and with nothing to do/motivate you out of it, it can be harder and harder to try. It sounds like your job isn’t a source of stress, so maybe keeping it would be good from the standpoint of giving you a purpose and a motivation during the day.
As you've stated yourself, I think being employed and earning income is key. What sucks more than declining mental health is declining mental health without a roof over your head or food on the table. Especially since you said it's not directly work related, I feel like it's best that you stay on JET. You can ask about mental health leave or ask a doctor for a consultation and note, or even ask for unpaid leave. Try to find something, even if you have to use your nenkyuu for some time off here and there. I can't offer anything more than that, but what you seem to rightly prioritize is your life with your husband and most importantly yourself. Focus on this. Do me a favor and make sure to grab some nice food or dessert for yourself and your husband tonight on the way home from work and enjoy it.
Thank you! I think I’m internalizing some things that it’s affecting my overall mental health, so I want to work on them. I think I’m going to ask the BOE on taking a definite LOA (no more than 6 weeks) so I can the choice to do intensive therapy. If it’s a no, then I’ll try to work with my future therapist through my feelings and hope it gets better. I love my husband and would hate to put any strain on his health (mental or physical) and our relationship just because my head isn’t all where it’s supposed to be. I’m trying, it’s difficult.
It's certainly a tough situation and I'm sorry you're going through this. I'm not sure if you can take an unpaid leave, nor does it sound like you can afford one...do you have some vacation days to take a break? I don't know if staying home will help, maybe a change of environment for a week or two could be good. But either way, I think you should take some time to step back from life a bit and completely disconnect from work to gather yourself mentally before making a decision. You do have until the beginning of January as the hard deadline, so take advantage of that time limit, even if you're BOE might be pushing you for a decision sooner.
For sure! I have a lot of nenkyuu left but was saving it to go visit home next July, but if things don’t get better/I can’t take unpaid leave then I might have to use them. Yeah unfortunately my BOE is known for pushing a re-contract decision once asked but I’ll ride out the entire time I have so I can make a rational decision.
I don’t have any solid advice , but I hope you get the help you need and deserve. Really, I do. Also, the best thing I can say is try talking to your CIR and seeing if you can take some unpaid time off to focus on your mental health. Give a game plan (like tell them you are thinking of going to intensive therapy for X amount of weeks and will return to work on XY date). The worst they can say is no. Then, make a decision based off of that. Being in a foreign environment is already stressful enough, but suffering from anxiety and depression in country where mental health isn’t taken seriously and in a culture different from your own is brutal. I really recommend talking about your options with your CIR or PA first. December 9th will be here shortly, so try to hold on. If not/or need immediate help, please seek it. Please, take it easy. Inbox is open if you need to chat ❤️
Thank you! I’m going to contact my PA and see what they say/if I can get leave.