Don't Be So Hard On Yourself!!!!!
Hey Listeners!
I just wanted to share my exeriences on 7Cups for all the new (and old) listeners on here. I've been here for about a year and a half. First of all, I need you to soak in what you're doin right now. You are helping a stranger to feel better about his/hersituation. That's absolutely incredible and you deserve so much applause for that. You may be helping someone who is wondering whether to live another day, someone who may not have gotten much love in his/her life, or someone who just needs a friend. I've been there before, and I know how much help can really do.
Second of all, the most important thing I've learned is DONT BE SO HARD ON YOURSELF. There will be people who need more help than you can provide. There will be people who lash out at you, who lash out at the world. There will be people who pose uncomfortable questions, and there will be times where you don't know what the heck you are talking about. You are not expected to know how to deal with all of these situations. Ask for help! Worst case, redirect the person back to the waiting list, to another specialized person, or a therapist. Sometimes ending a live chat is hard when you feel like the person cannot be satisfied by you. But you are doing the absolute best you can, and your goal on this site is not to get badges, hearts, or positive reviews. It is to help the person in the best way you can, and in some cases, that may include not personally dealing with the situation yourself.
Third of all, DO NOT OVERWHELM YOURSELF!!!! This is SO key to having a good time here on 7Cups. When I first started, I took on as many as 8 people as a time. Not only is this extremely stressful and pressuring on you (you have to remember everyone's situation and respond fast!), this also hurts the person in need. Not only will your response time be slower, but you may not remember the person's situation or get them mixed up. Every person who seeks help on here deserves self care and equal attention. It may feel like your responsibilty to try and help EVERYONE, but give yourself some time, some focus, and some breaks in between to recover :).
Lastly, take care of yourself. If you ever feel overwhelmed, help yourself first. You deserve as much care and affection as everyone on this site.
-LindsaySupport321
Feel free to comment, share, or message me with questions
@LindsaySupport321 Thanks for sharing. It's such a great post & i bet it'll help a lot listeners to gather confidence to end a conversation or handle not so friendly conversations :) Instantly upvoted!
@LindsaySupport321
Agreed on all points. It's hard to tell yourself to stop taking on more people when you see a long waiting list, but I've had to tell myself it's not worth overwhelming myself and ultimately giving lower quality to those I'm currently in chats with.
@Dawn04
I went through the same thing! It's amazing when us listeners can relate to eachother and just talk about things <3 Hope this thread helped!
@LindsaySupport321
I hope so as well. I think us Listeners sometimes realize we got to cut ourselves a little slack - we need to take care of ourselves and even put ourselves first if we want to help others.
I try not to take more than 5 chats and change my status to busy or offline when necessary. I think you gave good tips for listeners to remember. I think that making sure you tailor the conversations to what the member is struggling with, as well as being empathetic and understanding is important in one-on-one chats. I also don't hesitate to tell a member if I feel uncomfortable talking about something or suggest they connect to another listener.
@peacefulvibes96
Excellent point! We should let the member know that he/she is respected, but our needs should be respected too. It's what brings the amazing, friendly environment in 7Cups!
@LindsaySupport321 Exactly! Respect, comfort, and trust are so important in the member-listener relationship! Establishing those values really makes a big difference. That's what makes 7 Cups a great way to receive support.
@LindsaySupport321
Thank you very much for sharing this <3 You are amazing :)
