My name is Polina and I recently went through something that pushed me to consider my impact on those around me. I have always been attracted to the idea of giving something back to a community, any community; being able to help others going through the same things I have gone through or maybe even provide support for those dealing with issues completely foreign to me is something I am very interested in. My reasoning is that volunteering at 7 Cups could give me the opportunity to be the helping hand I never received myself when I was going through a hard time. I remember being forced to leave the country I grew up in due to an oppressive regime, I remember being a teenager and developing an eating disorder that completely disrupted the flow of my life for over a year, I remember struggling with excessive stress and the subsequent panic attacks; but most importantly, I remember struggling to find a person I could trust completely or even simply vent to. Volunteering could allow me to give someone the help they need - even if it would come from a complete stranger - which is something I now realize would have made a significant difference for me during my own crisis periods.