New To The Anxiety Support Community? Introduce Yourself Here!

Hi, im ariana. I struggle with avoidance personality disorder accompanied by tons of depression and anxiety. Im trying to get better though.

I found this website while having a panic attack and wanting to call the suicide hotline (cant do that cause of my avoidance and anxiety), but i was looking for a website where you could chat instead of call, and i found 7 cups. And its so great. Im so thankful something like this exists. Its very helpful. Although receiving replies makes me anxious as well, it is much easier.

with avpd, congrats for being brave and finding help and even for posting this. welcome

Thank you 💕

I don't know what to do. I think the worst about many things, for example I love to draw and I always want to post it online and I wind up saying to myself I'm not good enough so I stop.I suck and I will never be anything good. I don't like these thoughts but it's just me always thinking the worst and I don't know what to do

Hi @ivorySail8235, welcome to 7 Cups of Tea. Thinking the worst and anxiety tend to go hand in hand. You're not alone here! It sounds like you're a really creative person. I hope you find the courage to share your artwork some time.

Hi I'm Laynie, I have seeked help for anxiety but I like this forum app because of the extra support and talk with Listeners. I'm in my mid-30's and been dealing with Anxiety, and depression wanting to learn coping skills and let others know they are not alone. So powerful to know that.

@LaynieJWest5661

Hi Laynie, welcome to 7 Cups of Tea. This is a great place to learn coping skills and to share your experiences in a supportive community. It's wonderful that you want to let others know they're not alone. That sort of caring attitude is what holds our community together :)

@clouder thank you so much@

Hello. My name is Becky. I'm new to 7 Cups and I'm just looking for a place to fit in. Like most of you guys, I suffer from anxiety and depression. I'm willing to listen to any problems any of you have.

@beckyhh Welcome to 7 cups! We're glad you joined us!

Hi guys, I have always been a nervous person but I have been dealing with panic attacks since March but I have no idea what has triggered them. I have only just discovered 7 cups of tea but I feel like this could be the one place I can discuss this :)

@sazojean I'm so glad you found 7 cups! This is definitely a place you can come to, to discuss anything with us! You can always message me as well!

Hi everyone! I have been dealing with anxiety since I was a kid, but I didn't know that it was anxiety disorder until my last semester at university. My whole life I've been trying to please my family and be obedient and respectful but it's gotten to the point where I don't feel like they are showing me the same respect I deserve. In my culture (we are middle eastern) men are more in control than women. It is shameful for a women of our culture to date (especially men not of our kind) and that is what brings me here to 7cups. I am now 22 years old with my first boyfriend and I love him but my parents make me feel so guilty about dating him because he is "not of our kind'. I get anxiety attacks thinking about our future (we want to get married one day) and I consider him the man of my dreams but my parents, especially my mom always makes snide comments like "I hope you marry someone from our culture. If you don't then you will make us very disappointed, etc." I know they love me,and they mean well but they don't even bother trying to get to know him or talk about him with me. They brush it off and pretend it's not happening. So this is my dilemma, and the reason I find solace here at 7cups.

Hi @YouDontControlME,

Welcome to 7 Cups of Tea. Your intro paints a clear picture of some very stressful challenges! As a member, you're now part of a supportive, multi-cultural community. We have guests, members, and listeners from all over the world, so you're not alone in facing these issues. I hope you'll find our community a source of comfort and support as you find a path through this dilemma. Very best wishes on your journey!

Thank you :) I have already found a lot of support that I need here and hope that I can lend my support where needed as well

Hello... i'm new in here, and just wanted to introduce myself. I'm johanna and i have anxiety, panic attacks, insomnia and self harm problems. I really hope to get support in here.

@justanotherrainyday Hi Johanna,

Welcome to 7 Cups of Tea. Thanks for introducing yourself! Anxiety often comes with a slew of other issues, so you're not alone here. In addition to our forums, group chats, and 1-on-1 chats, we have some self help guides, which you might find useful, including ones on self harm, sleeping well, anxiety, and panic attacks. I hope you'll find us to be a supportive community. We're all in this together :)

Hello everyone I'm Jenny! I'm so glad to have found this website. My parents are pretty traditional, so they don't really take mental illnesses seriously. Fro that reason, I have never been able to take to anyone about my situation. This is actually my fisrt time ever telling anyone I have this illness. I hope that I well be able to improve my social anxiety.

@QuietSkies6767 Hi Jenny, I like your username. As you might guess from mine, I like clouds and skies! We're really chuffed that you found 7 Cups of Tea. It's tough when your parents aren't supportive, so this is a great way to build a support network of people who understand. Social anxiety is probably one of the most common forms of anxiety we face here, so you're not alone.

Hi! I'm a 20 y/o girl, new to this website. Nice to meet you all!

The last couple of years I've been dealing with general anxiety, OCD and depression. Lately I've started getting panic attacks too. It's too much, that's why I really need help, someone to talk to.

(I've tried talking to a psychologist, worst experience of my life.. So I'm scared)

Hi @CalmLavenderSkies8243,

Welcome to 7 Cups of Tea. I'm sorry to hear you had such a negative experience with your first psychologist. Finding a good psychologist (or any mental health professional) can take several tries. If you don't have a good rapport, it's best to move on. While you might not feel ready to give it another go right now, I hope you'll give it another chance some time in the future.

I hope you find the help and support you're after here. We have a kind and supportive community, including many other people who deal with GAD, OCD, depression, and panic attacks. Best wishes on your journey :)

Hi, my name is Beth. I'm moving to uni in September and the change in my life is playing havoc with my anxiety. I have no idea how to cope with it and it's getting really bad. I don't want my panic attacks to get bad again but I'm already worried about leaving the house in case it happens. I don't know what to do

Hey @Beth96! Welcome to 7 cups :) I know how you feel, I'm getting nervous about going back to university for my second year in september as well. Will this be your first year? i found having supportive friends very helpful, but making them might be daunting at first. What I can suggest is to just be yourself and try to have a positive, compassionate, and accepting outlook and with that energy you're doing the best you can, and the right friends should come along. In addition there will hopefully be other resources available to support you with your anxiety like counselors, or clubs on mental health. I also worked on mindfulness and meditation which helped me deal with all the stress I was dealing with, which stemmed from a combination of social anxiety, academics, and social life. I can assure you most people have some anxiety at first, and getting adjusted might take some time, but you can make it through it :) Don't be afraid to ask for help, trust me, people that care are around you, it's a matter of finding them. Best of luck!

Uhm hello everybody! I'm Francesca, an eighteen-year old girl from north-east Italy. :) I was diagnosed with GAD (generalized anxiety disorder) almost a year ago, 2014 was an awful year for me.

Fortunately I don't have anxiety attacks anymore, but i'm always overwhelmed with anxious thoughts and self doubt.

I'm trying to live a normal life though. 've joined my school drama class (BEST. DECISION. EVER.) and i've started doing yoga (i'd totally reccomand it!). I'm seeing a psycholgist once a week, she's not completely hepful, but she tries really hard and i find it okay. I have an hard time making a connection with her and i have never discussed my other problems (sexuality, maladaptive daydreaming, nostalgia), but I think i will someday.

I'm really happy i've joined this community and i think this is a great opportunity for meeting new people and discuss our problems together! :)

I hope you'll have a lovely day!

Hi :) I'm glad you're doing all those things to get better. I do yoga, too. I find it very relaxing and uplifting. I hope you have a great day :)

Hi everyone, my name is Maddy and this is the first time I introduced myself in the anxiety forum. I have general anxiety for a few years and I'm currently struggling with going out, but I see that could make your anxiety worse. I'm planning on taking college classes soon and I hope it would keep me occupied and I'm also int the search in finding a counselor.

Welcome :) I'm new here, too. College has helped me feel a lot better. I hope it'll be like that for you as well.

Hi I'm Haley and I'm sixteen years old. I have social anxiety and depression. It's hard for me to talk about this kind of stuff with anyone else so hopefully I will find some support here :)

Welcome Haley! <3 I'm sure you will find a wonderful support system here at 7 cups :)

Hey I'm Lindsey. 23 and I'm dealing with depression, anxiety, and body image/disordered eating issues. This seems like a great place to talk to someone. I don't really feel like I have someone in my life right now who can really listen, align with the issues I'm struggling with and push me to think about my struggles.

Welcome Lindsey <3

Hi I'm Kelly. I haven't been diagnosed with anything, also my GP thinks I'm depressed. For as long as I can remember I've been sad and hurting and angry and I've led an exhausting life of trying to make out that I'm ok. I feel like a bad daughter, sister, friend, wife and mother. If I was killed in a car crash, I believe everyone in my life would cope just fine in my absence and it would fix their problems. I get angry, so so angry. I get unbelievable sadness. I get patches of numbness. I can't get anything right. I think it probably got worse when my whole family started having medical issues: my husband and I had three miscarriages, then our daughter had problems at birth and had an operation at three weeks old. My mum was diagnosed with cancer. My dad nearly died during a heart bypass. Everyone is fine and I can't get past any of it. My husband has anxiety which got worse after he broke his foot and is still recovering over a year later. Without his anxiety outlet, he is moody and non-communicative. Where I need to talk and hug, he wants to be alone. I feel neither of us can help each other anymore. I know I'm probably not as severe as others, so I hope I'll be allowed to stay in here. I feel I could get much support from here.

Welcome Kelly! Sounds like you've been through a lot of tough experiences. Talking on here will hopefully help you cope with these uncomfortable and difficult emotions you seem to be going through. Sending love your way <3

Hi I'm new. I would really like to get advice. I have anxiety issues severe depression and self harm problems...

Hi @truelove98,

Welcome to Anxiety Support at 7 Cups of Tea. We have a kind and supportive community here, as well as a range of resources, including self help guides on anxiety, depression, and self-harm, which will help you on your growth pathway. It's wonderful that you've found us. I hope 7 Cups of Tea can be part of your path to recovery.

Hello, I'm Elaine. I feel rather embarrassed to vent about my problems to all of you but I'm really desperate now. I struggle with depression, severe social anxiety and panic attacks. I'm really hoping for some help or someone to talk to. I'm so physically tired of being sad all the time.

@itsalieri

Hi Elaine, welcome to Anxiety Support at 7 Cups of Tea. When sadness makes you physically tired, you're definitely in depression territory. Severe social anxiety doesn't make things any easier either! Many people here experience both social anxiety and depression, so you're not alone. It can be embarrassing to share at first, but we're all here to support you. Sharing gets easier with time :)

Hi, my name is Eva and I have severe anxiety and panic attacks, I am really working towards getting better and learning how to manage it and was wondering if anyone had any tips or advice on how to manage anxiety

@whitedaisies1518 Hi Eva, welcome aboard!

Managing anxiety and panic attacks is tough. It's great that you're working hard towards recovering! For tips and advice, you might like to check out our Anxiety Self Help Guide. Completing the guide will also help you on your progress path here at 7 Cups of Tea. Feel free to start a thread if you have a specific question. We're all here to help :)

Hope, like an anchor.....

I am Christie. I have anxiety and a history of major depressive episodes (I was hospitalized once, when I was 25). I am only being treated for anxiety because it is what I deal with primarily, but I am experiencing a bout of depression right now (I have only had 3 major episodes in my life). My whole body hurts, from head to toe, and all I want to do is go to bed. It has only been 2 days but I am worried. It sounds dumb, but I can't afford this right now, and knowing that makes me feel worse! I can't snap out of it! :(