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Finding purpose
CatDude September 4th, 2022
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I have had ongoing mental health issues for decades now. Much of my history includes self harm. I sometimes think about what I should be doing with my life as in maybe trying to help others who may have had similar difficulties.


That all sounds well and good but heres the thing, so many other people already do these things so I think to myself "who do heck am I to think I can make any significant difference?". It would be nice to contribute something meaningful to society but I am just a nobody. I have no friends, my experiences probably aren't of any interest to anyone, and maybe I'd make a really rubbish listener. I mean like being a listener here: it would good to help people, but what if I am just really no good at helping others?


So where does one start with mental health volunteering? If you don't believe in yourself does that just mean you should not entertain the idea. I suppose the little voice in my head tells me I'd only fail anyway and to even consider these things is getting ideas above my station.

5
AmyMir6 September 4th, 2022
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I can relate a lot to you. I have a lot of mental health issues myself and history with self harm. I believe whenever we have histories with ourselves and would like to try helping others, we are able to succeed. Even if it's just to say that we understand a little bit what they are going through. Sometimes that's all we/they need.
RarelyCharlie September 5th, 2022
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@AmyMir6 I agree. People who have been through a lot, even if their difficulties are ongoing, can definitely be effective helping others.

Becoming a listener at 7 Cups can be a good place to start, but I think our training here is lightweight. It's also important not to get discouraged if some chats don't go well. There will certainly be members here you can help, but no listener can help everyone.

Charlie

AmyMir6 September 5th, 2022
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@RarelyCharlie I agree with you on this! Even if they don't feel like they are ready yet to start being a listener, I do wish they will eventually understand their story is important.

BrightandGentleHand October 2nd, 2022
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How are you doing now, @CatDude?




I realized here that the beauty of being a listener at 7cups is that you don't need to know everything, you don't need to know the answers. It is said that being self--aware like this is even helpful when we listen to others, because you understand better. If listening is not something that works at this time, it's okay too. There are so many activities here that you can participate in, many of which can also help you in your own journey. Try the scheduled group chat discussions and the academy -- it has the same key elements with less of the intimacy of 1x1 chats.

gregariousYard5321 October 4th, 2022
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I teuly can feel this and I can relate, I would be happy to chat with you privately because even if I understand this feelings in a way I would like to hear more about it and understand YOU.

The thing is I’ve felt the same way for a while and I’ve never understood it until now.

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