New To The Anxiety Support Community? Introduce Yourself Here!

Hi all. I'm a 38 year old female from the Caribbean. I always saw myself as a fairly strong person but life has taught me that no one is an island. Becoming a mom, never setting out to be a single parent, then trusting a man who was oh so 'in love' only to find out he was cheating, losing my job etc only threw my anxiety into overdrive and slashed my self esteem. People always compliment me on both inner and outer beauty but I feel nothing. I just smile but that's a veneer. I'm happy i found this site, I got on about 3 days ago and I really wanna get back to a better me...

Hi

Hi, you!

I'm new to 7cups but I have been dealing with anxiety for a while now. Things have been hard for me lately, I have a stressful career where having thick skin is a must, and recently had a breakup. I think I'm handling things well, but having support is always welcomed, so I joined this community. I hope this can help me deal with hard situations in a healthy way.

Love,

goodhairdays

Hey there!

I have pretty severe but random social anxiety. I also have been reading up on OCPD after learning that it is genetic and being able to notice traits of it in my mom, brother, and myself. That combined with major depression and PTSD/Trauma Support is what has brought me to 7 Cups!

About me ^_^
I prefer to be called Moody! 😸 (23/she/her/Indiana USA) I am very outspoken, quirky, and energetic. I have a curious and very easily bored mind that never stops going. I love to talk about things you're not supposed to at the dinner table. Difficult and deep conversations are my forte! However, validating my feelings is the hardest thing I've ever tried to do... I tend to use dry/dark humor to cope.
My interests include music, dance, singing, writing (can be very difficult for me as I have some trauma relating to...), drawing (newly found interest), anime, cartoons, and cooking/mixology. Feel free to ask anything you're curious about! 😊

Hey this is Paula Maria. I am a mental health expert with a background of depression and anxiety. I give out advices and tips for people dealing with anxiety.

hello! new here... anxiety ruining my relationship

Hello! I'm new to 7 cups, but have had anxiety for a while. I hope that I'll be able to meet some supportive people here!

Uh, hello. I’ve been sitting on this app for a while now. I know I need help, but my fear of rejection has kept me from doing anything here until now.

In terms of anxiety, I suffer from general on top of social, as well as trauma from long-term familial abuse. I also struggle with ADHD, which likely adds to my anxiety levels as well. I used to be able to deal with all of this, but I lost my support system last year and it’s shot my self worth. Now I don’t feel like I’m worth loving in any sense of the term and am in constant threat of sabotaging my own relationships with people. All of this has manifested as increased anxiety and consistent nightmares.

I… think that’s it for now. My new year’s resolution was to finally get some help, so here I am.

@versatileKite6548

hey just wanted to say proud of you and know that you are incredible and anyone would be lucky to know you… know your self worth because you are so strong

Hi! I am not exactly new because ive been in 7cups before, but I left for somw years. I decided to come back because when I leave my therapist office I always feel like I have a million more things to talk about. I have lived with anxiety for severa years and I am feeling really good since I started seen this psychologist, I feel like ive never let anyone in until now, in my past experiences in therapy I always kept things to myself that made it impossible for me to progress. I was tired of this form of autosabotage so now I am doing my best and letting everything out, its been a painful and hard road, but its paying off, in just 6 months I feel a million time better and I am super excited about it 😊

Hi I'm 35 years old and married.

I have a fear of death (trying to exercise mindfulness and so far its working)and i want some friends to talk because i don't have friends . Im very shy ...

@kithkath I'm 39 . . . I'm shy and I looking for friends too.

Hi nice to meet you here. We can chat if you want but i dont know how to send message here lol. Btw im from Atlanta, Ga

When I was 11 I got diagnosed w anxiety n depression. I was dealing w physical n verbal abuse from both parents n am still dealing w verbal abuse from my dad as my mom died when I was 14.

Greetings!

I'm Liz. 30 years old and single. I have been diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder and ADHD, however, I have quite strong social anxiety as well. Being around a lot of people makes me incredibly uncomfortable, as well as talking in front of people I don't know. Recently I went to this public presentation where one of the activities was going around and having us each answer to a prompted question. I really didn't like it. I hate coming up with answers like that on the spot because I have trouble organizing my thoughts quickly with my adhd. I answered the best I could, but really felt bad about myself later because I felt like I didn't get my points across effectively because of my fear of public speaking.

One of the worst parts about having social anxiety is the blushing. I always think that people will get the wrong idea and I really hate it. But what can ya do?

Anyway, I'm glad an anxiety community exists here! :)

Hi I’m Lira.

I’m from Ukraine and I have severe OCD.

Feel free to ask anything as long as you’re polite)

@Laura

Heyy there!!! I'm Arrow! I'm new to the Anxiety support forum.. I've been a listener here for a year now, (I celebrated by cup-a-versary 2 days ago.. YAY!) I've had an awesome journey so far and am looking forward to more<33

Love,

Arrow

@Laura HI IM EVEY I LIKE TO KEEP MY AGE PRIVATE BUT UH I JUST WANNA MAKE FRIENDS

This is the first time I’m posting something so I hope I’m doing it right 😭😭

I’m a student and for the last year have had some mental health struggle. After having some friendship trouble and being shamed for my personality. I’m pretty sure I have anxiety however haven’t been to the doctors about it…

I have frequent panic attacks at school. I would say atleast 3 or 4 a month.

If you asked one of my friend to describe me in 3 words … they would say kind (this is because I really want to make someone’s day better even if it’s just the slightest) also performer (as theatre is where I feel most excepted) and funny (well atleast that’s what I’d hope they would say)

I have tried multiple strategies to get my anxiety under control and one of my friends suggested online therapy pages as she knows I find it difficult to talk about my feelings in real life because I feel like I’m being judged constantly

I hope that maybe some of you read this and relate and realise your not alone in this xx

@Laura

I'm Chloe! Happy to be here :)

I'm a 26 year old woman living in the Netherlands. I have been struggling with anxiety for the last few months and decided to join the community. I hope I can find support here.

@Laura

Hi, I'm a current high school student and I think I've got some sort of anxiety problem, but no one believes me when I tell them that I can't control my fears about the most random things since the effects of my stress don't show in my performance/since I'm an extravert, etc. I don't wanna self-diagnose or anything, but I'm a perfectionistic people pleaser but it's starting to get bad so here I am!

@Laura hello I go by Rowan

I first started using 7cups back in 2021 where I was getting really depressed one or my friends shared this with me

I stoped using it after awhile i forgot why i alsp forgot ny log in so i created a new account

I am back here because due to some recent events I have developed health anxiety which has been effecting me a lot

@Laura Hello! I am ad, a 13 year old girl. I suspect that I have severe social anxiety.

Hello I don't think I ever posted or chatted in an anxiety chatroom or thread before. I have anxiety only at certian times.

Hi everyone. My name is Angel, I'm a 19 year old male high-school graduate, and I suffer from anxiety and depression.

For as long as I can remember I have struggled in social situations ranging from crowded public spaces to simply ordering food. This all stems from my terrible habit of overthinking everything. I always focus on the negatives, finding positives is such a challenge. When I look at people and they look at me, I can't help but feel everyone around me hates me. I worry about things I know I don't have control over, and every day I rethink past conversations wondering what I could have said differently and if the receiving end of those conversations hates me because of how I spoke.

I feel like a letdown. My sisters and relatives are such amazing people. They've performed in school with shining colors and communicate with everyone around them so easily. Unlike them, I barely managed to pass high school and haven't had a job, nor have I even spoken to anyone else in person besides them since graduating. It makes me feel worthless sometimes, like if even applying for a job at the supermarket is even worth everyone's time. I remember a time where my sister and I were making macaroni, and I genuinely had no clue what I was doing. She laughed and mocked me for not knowing the basics, which overwhelmed me and had me yelling at her. I was crying because I felt like such a failure for not knowing something so simple. I know she didn't mean for it to sound so hurtful, but it felt so crushing.

My ex-girlfriend and I were on and off for 2 years, and just over a month ago I ended our relationship for the third time because I couldn't feel a romantic tie between us. She said that was the final time she would try repairing our relationship. We've managed to make amends and sometimes talk to each other for a few hours at a time, but I can't help but feel an aching in my heart every time we talk. Knowing that our relationships ended because of me, because I couldn't understand how to process the romance between us, stings a lot. I feel like I don't deserve love anymore because of what's happened. She says I shouldn't feel like this anymore, that I deserve to have another connection with someone, but I always second guess myself.

I'm stuck in this cage where I'm always beating myself down. I try talking to people about my problems, but I always lie to make the issues seem less problematic so they don't think too much about me. I don't know what to do anymore... I've resorted to just trying to cope with that reality.

hi! I'm a 21 year old girl currently doing my undergrad studies at university & I'm new to 7cups ^^
Since I was really little (around 5-6 years old) I've been really scared of social situations. I didn't speak to anyone at school (students or teachers) even tho I was super chatty with my family. I also cried a lot in school due to being overwhelmed by people constantly forcing me to speak. Now I realize that was probably selective mutism, though I was never diagnosed because the school therapist told my parents I was just shy and it would just go away if they forced me to speak. So they did just that and now I'm pretty sure I have social anxiety + maybe some remains of my selective mutism.

Even the smallest social situations scare and overwhelm me, so I've spent all of my life avoiding any situation that requires speaking unless it's completely unavoidable (*cough* *cough* school presentations I'm looking at you..). Due to this I had no friends at school and now no friends at uni, I spend wayyy more time trying to figure stuff on my own because I'm too scared to ask the teachers or TAs questions. I am also overly dependent on my parents doing things for me that require speaking, like grocery shopping, making appointments, etc. (which they even encourage me to do since they are super overprotective and still treat me like a small kid :/). I've gotten comfortable living my life like this, but the older I get and the closer I get to finishing uni I'm starting to get really anxious about my future because I will have to get a job, start doing things by myself and eventually move out. I've been really scared thinking I will never even get a job because just thinking about having a job interview TERRIFIES ME. I've also realized how much social anxiety takes over my life and prevents me from fully enjoying life and doing things I've always wanted to try.

Since I can't get therapy bc my parents don't believe in mental health and I don't have money to pay for it + even if I had the money, the idea of talking to a therapist terrifies me, I decided to join 7cups and try my best to get rid of my social anxiety on my own! I feel like I'm already making progress since I feel wayy more comfortable talking through text than before (even writing this post would have been unthinkable to last year me! so yayy progress~ )

If anyone is going through something similar I would love to be friends! and any tips on how to overcome social anxiety would be greatly appreciated ^^

Hi! I’m moja. I am suspecting anxiety and depression and maybe even ocd. I struggle with trichotillomania

@Laura Glad to have found this group. Long term sufferer of generalized anxiety disorder and depression. Looking to reclaim control of myself and my thoughts.

Hi there! I'm 17 and still a high school student. Sadly I haven't been able to get officially diagnosed yet but I'll soon get tested for both Social Anxiety and Generalized Anxiety Disorder! Honestly it has really impacted my social life and my education so I definitely hope I'll get the support I need very soon.

I've made 1 of these years ago.seems like things are very different. I'm in need to talk but I'm also here to listen. I've been through some things and right now it's harder than before. Regardless I still listen and I can give a little advice or let you know how well your doing through what ever you're going through.

@Laura

"Hello, I'm Akash. I'm a diligent and enthusiastic individual who brings a unique perspective to any conversation or project he's involved in. With his strong work ethic and passion for learning, I'm always eager to take on new challenges and contribute positively to his community. Whether in the workplace, academics, or among friends, you'll find me a dedicated and reliable presence."

Hello! I'm a listener here, I had a bad experience one day and this site was a good way to help, so I decided to help people because I can listen and I'm good at that

Hi, I am from California, I have been experiencing fear/panic attacks lately. I am a graduate student, working full-time, and my spouse is disabled, so all contribute to feeling overwhelmed and depressed. I understand that there are many people facing the same issues or maybe worse. However, I started to notice chances in my life, where I became not interested in doing anything and giving up. I am thinking about resigning from my job almost everyday. I lost hope.

@Laura

Hey I'm Aeri

Hey. I'm a 21 year old college student. My name is Equuleus.

Hi I’m called Emmy and recently I just have felt like I don’t belong anywhere

it was becoming really difficult to make friends and I felt like I just did not belong anywhere

but I started to make friends and then I found 7 cups and there was this one specific listener who just made me feel so much better and I finally found my purpose in life and I’m doing so much better now, I became a listener not to long ago so hopefully I can help someone just like that listener helped me xx

Hi, my name is Hannah. I have been struggling with social anxiety since quarantine. It’s gotten even worse since I’ve started at a new high school in a new state. It’s gotten to the point where even walking in the hallway is stressful. I have a hard time looking where I’m going because of it. At one point I even kept my eyes closed when I was walking so that I wouldn’t have to look at the people passing by me. I also avoid eye contact with almost all people, I’m not completely comfortable around anyone outside of my family. 

Everyone around me at my home and school are very supportive and I’m very thankful for that. But it’s still difficult.