Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Apple Scruff]

As someone who has had his share of panic-induced freak-outs in crowded public places, am I an idiot for even considering coming to Korea?

[Drakoi]

avoid myeong dong then. There's not a lot of parks, but they're spread out pretty well so one is always nearby.

I'm not clausterphobic (where's that spellcheck?!? ) but i've gotten a bit queesy on the bus when the windows fog up. It's all that stopping and starting and not having an outside reference. So i try to take the subway on wet days.

[crazylemongirl]

for me my major panic attack was on the subway during a strike. However if you freak out in crowded places perhaps you should consider living in one of the smaller towns.

CLg

[Bulsajo]

Whatever you do, stay away from Yoido (and the subway lines servicing it) on weekends when the cherry trees bloom in the spring...

[Tiger Beer]

[Gwangjuboy]

I also have bouts of panic attacks. It isn't helped in Korea considering the stares you get. Although the stares are (mostly) not intended to be rude or threatening, it can be a nightmare if you are prone to panic attacks. Shopping in the major department stores was a hassle in the UK. In Korea that hassle is increased ten fold. Just use the same skills in Korea as you do back home. It will be difficult, but eventually you will become more confident. I actually found that when I went back home for a break the problem was not as serious as before I came to Korea. So, it could be a good move in the long run.

[Kalhoun]

As a counselor, I've seen a handful of people concerning both panic and/or anxiety attacks over the last number of years. Most seem very much able to deal with it. Seoul is a large city. It's difficult, but not impossible to live here with said challenges. You need to have an open mindedness and a willingness to get the help and/or meds that may help you. I guess it all comes down to the severity of it. Remember, Seoul is 9.5 million people. That in itself may potentially produce a certain amount of anxiety in many people ~ especially when they first get here. Hoping that you find the answers that you're looking for

Good luck,

[HardyandTiny]

[weatherman]

You know, not that Boston is small and unpopulated, but one reason I love Korea is for the shear numbers of people. I like crowded Korean cities, subways, buses, all the aparment blocks. I love the economy of scale that comes with this too. Only wish that Koreans would get their fertility rate up, it is the lowest in the world.

[intergalactic]

I developed it my first year in Korea...getting over it slowly but surely now after being here 5 years. For me it wasn't the actual crowds that did it, but the being 'kidnapped' by people who took you here and there and herded you into restaurants you didn't want to go to and onto buses for long trips where you didn't know where you were going, when the hell you would get there or when you'd be able to stop. I had zero control in my first year here. Adult students and in-laws were the main culprits. These days I maintain a "I'm not doing anything unless I know the exact details and actually want to do it" policy. I feel more in control and can almost ride a bus now without freaking out.
Also avoid the packets of cold and flu pills from the pharmacy, I suspect speedy panic-inducing drugs are in there.

[Bubbliee]

[uber1024]

After living in New York for a while, I've been having the reverse effect. When I go home (to Pennsylvania) to visit my mom, I get a bit nervous when there are NO people around, and it gimme the jibblies to see so much open sky. When there's no one around, I start feeling like someone is watching me. I'm so used to there being people around that when I don't see anyone else I guess I just figure that there's still someone there but I don't see them.

Weird, huh? I guess I'll do okay in Seoul.

[panthermodern]

Agoraphobia: Yea ... those damn sweaters give me the heebie geebies.

[Bulsajo]

That would be angoraphobia...

[jajdude]

Dear Apple Scruff,

Some days I feel it more now than in the past, after over 5 years in Asia. Maybe it's changing locations a lot and trying to find new jobs and the stress of all that as well as the damn crowds! Still got my buddy zoloft too