Seeing A Therapist For Anxiety

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Hello, everyone. I will be attending a therapy session with an internationally-accredited counselor in Tokyo who specializes in Anxiety and Depression and primarily works with foreigners living in Japan.

I moved to Japan to work as an Assistant Language Teacher back in August, which has been something I have been researching and preparing myself to do for several years. However, despite how happy I was to receive the position, how much I like living in Japan, and how well the school staff and I get along, I have been stuck in a daily cycle of horrible, fight-or-flight anxiety due to the sudden increase in social interaction I must go through at these elementary schools. As part of my job I am in charge of classes of 10 to 30 students for an hour at a time, and I teach between 4 and 7 classes a day. Even when I am not in the classroom, other teachers love initiating conversations with me.

Basically, I'm spending so much time in On Mode that there just isn't enough time in the rest of the day to 'recharge my batteries', as my younger Autistic brother phrases it. The stress has been quite bad for my health - in one particular week I lost 8 lbs, which was scary , and I don't sleep very well at all nowadays.

A friend of mine suggested that I try and go to counseling and possibly see about anti-anxiety medication before admitting defeat and returning home when my contract is up in March. So, that's what I'm doing tomorrow. This particular counselor specializes in Anxiety and Depression, as I said previously, and so probably knows very little about Asperger's. Since my issues with over-stimulation and the resulting anxiety obviously have to do with my AS, I was wondering if anyone had any resources I might browse to better prepare myself for a 'This is a summary of my issues' speech tomorrow? I was also wondering if anyone might have any advice for me?

Thank you all in advance for your help!

Hopefully, even though this person is specialised, they know something about Asperger's. My first good psychiatric contact knew very little about the autism spectrum, but she read up after we went through a diagnostic test "for the sake of it" and it was a good learning experience for us both.

In general, I think it'd be important to highlight the connection you feel between the symptoms, and don't let the counselor push that to the side. Again, it's difficult to give any particular advice, as I'm so used to each counselor/therapist I meet operating according to a specific school, and accordingly I vary what I say to match that. (While some blend different schools, one cognitive can be MILES away in their approach from a psychodynamic, etc...) Hmm, what else. Just come with an openness and talk honestly at first, they will obviously want to hear your side of the anxiety and most likely the first session will be a lot of talking from you so that they may determine where you are and what you need. (I sometimes can't talk, and shut up completely – it's not voluntarily, just that I can't talk anymore. A good therapist, in my experience, waits and then asks a leading question to get me talking again.)

If you want to, write a little list to summarise the main points of your difficulties, it might help. I usually keep a mental one, and then just talk from there, often straying into something I thought was only tangentially related but actually turned out to be quite relevant.

Good luck, and have patience. Therapy isn't quick, but sometimes really rewarding and helpful.

seeing the therapist for anxiety is a giant step in the right direction. They can help teach you ways of dealing with some of the stress. Taking something for anxiety may be a good idea too. Two months ago I started taking 1mg of Ativan every day and it has really lowered my anxiety levels. I hope you will be able to get some relief so you can really enjoy your job.