Question Ate fish after almost 2 years due to social anxiety

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whatiswrongwithme

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Hey guys. I went vegetarian oct 2016, then had to go ovolacto due to my job (I lived/worked on a ship and other ppl cooked for us and I couldn’t request much). Since February I’ve been struggling to go back to being strictly vegetarian again. I also suffer from social anxiety. So yesterday I hit a new low when I went to a Japanese place with some cousins I hadn’t seen in years and they had already ordered sushi for everybody there was nothing fish free and I was too anxious/shy to let them know I’m vegetarian, so I ate fish the day after I feel so bad for doing this to myself and I’ve been feeling pretty ill since last night. I’ve also struggled with eating disorders for many years, and going veggo was what helped me being healthy and I feel like I’ve been struggling with my ED again lately and that is why I had trouble controlling my eating habits. Please help, I feel terrible
 
Hi there!

Working on a ship sounds like a slightly unusual and interesting job, or at least interesting for a while ... My dad was a sailor, but I don't meet a lot of people in that profession these days.

If I were you, I wouldn't feel that bad about what happened, though I would strive to avoid putting myself in that situation again. Also, I would get straight back on the veggie horse. And thirdly, I would make a resolution to stop feeling awkward about being a vegetarian. Being a vegetarian really is not weird in this day and age. It's a completely normal thing. Sushi restaurants often have veggie / vegan sushi, for example. Just let people know you're a vegetarian. Just say you're uncomfortable about eating animals (assuming that is how you feel). A lot of people will understand. A few won't, but that's their own problem.

Another thing that might help is meeting other vegetarians or vegans. If you're lucky, there are vegetarian or vegan meetups in your area. Just check meetup.com or similar. These people are usually very happy to meet / help veggie newbies.
 
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Great advice, above.

I think you should come out (not sure if that's an appropriate wording) more generally as a vegetarian to a wide range of people all at once, and then the news will carry itself and others will get used to it. This will be difficult at first, but it will be worth it in the long run.

I suggest the next few dinners you bring up vegetarianism in a gentle way.

There is no sense in beating yourself up about what happened at this point. Instead consider how much good you have done by not eating meat and not contributing to animal suffering for so long.