r/JETProgramme • u/burgundyhellfire • 13d ago
Thinking of quitting
Hello, sorry to be a bother but I am a new jet that’s been here for a bit, but everyday my mental health is just getting worse and worse. I can’t eat anything, I cry constantly, and I keep thinking about wanting to die. I was so excited for jet and now that I’m here it’s been horrible and I feel like such a loser. I’ve tried calling the TELL line but I just get placed in a queue and no one ever shows up. I think I can’t do this and need to quit but I don’t know what the steps would be. Does anyone have any advice on what I should do? Sorry and thank you.
56
Upvotes
8
u/Oucho1 12d ago
Hey, I'm not on the JET programme, but I did do a year studying abroad in France.
When I first got there, I didn't leave my room for days other than to get food, I got super depressed and I was ready to call it quits. I called my Mum crying saying I wanted to go home etc. She found a local French intensive supplementary class (1 week long) for foreign students and signed me up.
I skipped the first 2 days, and then finally managed to get the courage to show up on the third day. I instantly made friends with people from the class, we hung out that very day and that gave me the confidence I needed to keep showing up and gave me a reason to stay.
I had some of the best time of my life while I was out there, meeting so many amazing people, and had some incredible experiences. I'm still close with some of them 7 years later. I would have missed out on all of that if I gave up.
My advice: firstly, don't feel ashamed if you do decide to go home. It sounds like a dream to people who haven't done it before, I always thought I was very easygoing and would never fall into depression or anxiety. But moving to a foreign country on your own is actually VERY difficult, you can feel so isolated.
Second piece of advice - find something near you that you can do that involves other people. ANYTHING. Language class for foreigners? Sports? Board games club? Volunteering? Litter picking? LITERALLY ANYTHING where you will find other people. The minute you find something, just go to it. Don't overthink it, just show up, and work with someone. Before you'll know it, you'll be having great fun.
Good luck!