Being A Star with Starlasky

Please join me in welcoming @Starlasky as our interviewee this week! Shreya/Starla is busy on 7Cups as a triple mentor, a moderator, a listener verifier, and host for both Listener Daily Check-Ins and Appreciation Check-Ins :o

This interview is golden, I hope you enjoy hearing from Starla as much as I did! <3

Hey Shreya, thanks for agreeing to be interviewed for our series! We're looking forward to hearing from you 💚

Thank you, Elliot, for having me in this amazing interview series of yours. 💙

Many of our listeners and community leaders started their 7Cups journeys as members seeking support or as listeners remembering when they needed support. How did you discover the site?

I seem to be one among those who first started her journey as a member as well! I remember the time back then when I just wanted to vent and get it all out of my chest and good for me, I found this wonderful site with wonderful listeners. After letting it all out, I realised how much better I felt and for the same reasons I joined here as a Listener, to make others feel the same lightness after just letting it all out and for them to have the same sense of hope and reassurance that if not loved ones, let it be a stranger, someone is here for them, to listen, to support, to care, to simply be there.

You've been a listener for almost two years! Several of your roles revolve around the self-harm recovery and addiction support subcommunities. How did you come to be involved in these spaces?

I know right! Two years almost, time flies away so fast. Yes, indeed. Self-Harm Recovery holds a special place for me. It was the subcommunity I first got a role in and I’ve always wanted to do my best and provide as much support as I could to everyone going through it. I was sad when some people stayed away from this subcommunity because they feel self-harm comes with crises and triggers. I wanted and want it to change. I'm trying my best to make people understand and realise that

“Self-harm is not all about a crisis, it’s just another way of coping with emotions and pain,”

but sadly an unhealthy way is all. The same goes for addiction. I want to help those who are willing to get out of it and looking for the support, for that I’m trying along with the rest of the team members into getting these subcommunities back to being active and ready to provide you with the support you’re looking for.

One of your nicknames in the community is Starla, and you have a quote about stars in your bio! Can you tell us about the significance the metaphor of stars can have in our lives and healing processes?

I love stars and hence my username too! I do, haha. I believe, we all resemble stars, you don’t have to be some celebrity to be a star. You just need to be appreciative of what you have, to be a star in your own life, your own story. Stars might have scars, they might have a traumatic past and they are surely present but invisible to us during the day but at night, you’ll see them up in the dark sky, all glowing and shining. That’s life.

“You’ll face challenges, have wounds, have scars, be invisible, and have darkness but most importantly you will shine and glow. Despite carrying all this, you will still be beautiful, admired and be called a star.”

You're also a project agent for listener check-ins! What is the importance of checking in with ourselves, as listeners, as members, and as humans?

Yes, I am! Checking in with ourselves is very important. Not only as a listener or member but as a human too. By reflecting and checking on our mental health, emotions and feelings we are just acknowledging our growth and the challenges we have endured and what we are enduring. It is important that as we are kind to others, we be with ourselves too and acknowledge ourselves, be empathic towards ourselves and be reflective, so we know about ourselves and not neglect things when it comes to us. Because as important as others are to you, you are important for someone and for yourself.

As a quality mentor and listener verifier, you're frequently supporting listeners. What can you tell us about your tips for growing into great listeners?

I don’t really have any tips, haha. From my experience, I can just say that whatever you do, do it out of a will, do it because it makes you happy and you want to do it. Everyone of us is a wonderful listener here and each day you learn something new about it. So growth is all that will one day make you a great listener, as and as you learn, you grow, and the more you grow the more you know!

Being 18 years old, where do you see your life, community service, and passion for supporting others taking you?

Life, I never know. It’s unpredictable and I can’t say what my tomorrow may look like haha. But all I can hope is that I remain kind, humble and supportive. For community service and my passion for supporting others, I am already grateful for the opportunities and trust the community has in me and for allowing me to provide the service and support. I want to remain the same person as I am but keep growing into learning and understanding something every day and provide as much support as I can!

Thank you again for taking the time to do this interview! We really appreciate you sharing your experiences, thoughts and wisdom 💜

Thank you so much for this opportunity and for hearing me out! It’s my pleasure. 💙

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