Not sure what I'm looking for.
I'm new here and I'm a bit apprehensive about this, but I think I'd like someone to talk to? I don't need scheduled chats, just someone I can message when I need to who'll respond when they can. I've been dealing with depression since middle school (I'm 25) and have recently had some anxiety issues as well. I'm not in any danger of self-harming, but my brain sometimes tells me I'm worthless and I have a hard time shutting that down. I'm overwhelmed by the forums and group chats here and I'm not sure where to begin. I know that ultimately I need to go back into counseling, but I'll be having some insurance changes soon so I don't want to start working with someone only to not be able to afford them when my insurance changes in a few months. I know that active listening is not the same as therapy, and I will try not to use it as such (I've never done this before, though, so I'll probably slip. If I do, call me on it.) but I think the extra support would be helpful in the meantime.
(Female, USA, Central time)
@SerendipitousWillow ~
Thank you for reaching out here in the forums.
I am really sorry you have been facing the challenge of depression for so long, and anxiety, as well.
I really appreciate you sharing what you have here, and if you would like to PM me, I invite you to do so, for private 1 on 1 chats.
Whatever you decide to do, I wish you all the very best, and hope you know this community is here for you.
Welcome to 7 Cups! I am a member, not a Listener, but I can relate to you feeling overwhelmed at everything there is here.
Everybody was a newbie at first! I am grandma-age and not a tech savvy as you young folks, so it was a learning curve for me just to navigate around all the buttons and options. I just started with following the prompts as I started my growth path. Then I connected with a couple of listeners, just to help with a couple of different issues, and they were short term ( but I still have them on my page to connect with again if I need to) Then I tried out some of the focusing exercises and poked around the forums. I found one or two that especially related to me, ansd you can do that too for anxiety- or whatever else you are dealing with. Later I looked in depth at the specialized paths with the in depth guides, and that is a treasure trove of helpful hints. That should getyou started. I think you will be surprised at the level of help here- - not therapy- but in some cases the next best thing. And you don't have to pay ( unless you can add a little to the jar like I did). We are glad you are here.
@SerendipitousWillow I would love to be here for you. I am a listener here at 7 cups and have had the same struggles as you. My user name is @chasingchaos Send me a private message. You are not alone. I will be here for you. There is a light at the end of the tunnel. There are tools and skills that you can develop to help you. You can do this! Looking forward to chatting with you.