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Re-Introducing Member Compassion Course

by ASilentObserver

10 hours ago

...See more Hi everyone, I hope you are doing well. This post is about - 7 Cups Compassion Course [https://www.7cups.com/forum/KitchenTable_133/SelfhelplearningwithLaura_743/7CUPSCOMPASSIONCOURSE_6809/1/] which was created by Laura. The course is for members only. Not for listeners! The goal of this course is to understand and know the basics of practicing compassion and help & support our members to have a compassionate experience in the group support chat rooms. This course allows you to foster healthy conversations and connections as well as be a compassionate, loving, supportive, and amazing member of the chat rooms and the community. Who can participate? Any member can take this quiz. Even if you are an experienced member, then also welcome to take part in it. Because we are all learning and practicing compassion. How can a member participate? * Once you have completed the course, please let us know in the comments of this post. * Also, tag any 3 members you know to invite them to take the quiz as well. * Your responses to the course will be graded and if you successfully passed it, you will receive, “Compassion Hero” badge. * If you didn’t pass, that’s okay. Feedback will be shared and then you can retake the course. Please remember that this course is designed to help you practice compassion and empathy for yourself and others. Because it is kindness that makes any place a better place to live in. Also, it will make you feel more comfortable, and well equipped to participate and be a wonderful participant in the group support chat rooms and forums. If you have any feedback to improve the course or any other ideas, please let us know in the comments of this thread. On that note, I invite you to take the compassion course here: https://tinyurl.com/4us8x8ue A big thank you to @vivelespatates for single-handedly managing this initiative for all these years! ------------------------- Edit: by ASilentObserver on 04/06/2022

Hi

by vi15

December 13th

I am in need of a listener and advice ❤️

by straightforwardEyes3336

October 10th

Welcome to 7 Cups

by Dani1301

September 30th

Steps to set up Notification Rules!

by Suryansh

March 20th

...See more Good day, everyone. I hope this post finds you all in a pleasant mood. The majority of teams on 7 Cups use Google Sheets to record form replies. We have forms for a variety of purposes, including emergency situations/needs, such as the Chatroom Moderator Emergency form, the Chatroom Mentor Emergency form, the Chat Supporter Emergency form, and so on. We couldn't risk missing out on emergencies and other requests that require rapid action! But how will we know when the request has been submitted? Wouldn't it be fantastic if we could be notified whenever a user fills out the form? Fortunately, Google Sheets allows us to set up Notification Rules to be notified whenever a user submits the form. For your convenience, I've included all of the steps for setting up Notification Rules for yourself below. ⭐ Steps to set up Notification Rules on the Dashboard: ❆ Open the Google Sheet where you would like to set up Notification Rules. ❆ On the top of the sheet, in the toolbar, click the "Tools" option. ❆ After clicking the "Tools" option, an options box will appear as below. ❆ From the options box, select the "Notification Rules" option, and then a dialog box will appear as shown below. ❆ From the dialog box, choose the "A user submits a form" and "Email - straight away" options, and then press "Save". ⭐ Congratulations, you've now created a Notification System that will send you an email every time a user submits a form. I'm hoping that by doing so, the emergency/other requests will be less likely to be overlooked and that we will be able to fix the situation after we arrive. If there is a section for you to fill out the request's status, remember to do so as well. Thank you very much. Be the change that you wish to see in the world.

What are badges and cheers / growth points?

by tommy

November 23rd, 2023

...See more Badges & Cheers / Growth Points Starting out at 7 Cups can be confusing, especially when you stumble across different features and struggle to understand their purpose/meaning. We're going to hopefully help combat an element of that confusion by discussing with you cheers/growth points and badges. Note: you can access a site page outlining much of this information by clicking here [https://www.7cups.com/listener/training/points/] or pressing the "training" button in the top left hand corner of the site. ------------------------- Part 1 - Cheers / Growth Points Cheers (listeners) and Growth Points (members) are a measurement of a users commitment to 7 Cups and are awarded both automatically and manually. They help calculate your user level and enables others to recognise and appreciate your hard work. You can view someone's cheers/growth points by visiting their profile. Here are some ways you can earn cheers or growth points: [A] - Automatically by the system, [M] - Manually given by an admin/ambassador • [A] Replying to a thread • [A] Taking part in chats (either 1:1 or in group support) • [A] Listeners receiving positive text reviews • [A] Receiving a forum upvote or message heart • [M] Taking part in selected events (these will be specified on the event announcement) • [M] Taking part in leadership roles (sometimes awarded cheers/growth points as a recognition/thank you for quotas) • [M] Taking part in/supporting projects such as the rising star program For a full list of automated cheers/points, please visit this [https://www.7cups.com/listener/training/points/] page. Manual cheers/growth points are issued on a case-by-case basis and can be found on individual project/information threads. A user's level is dependent on the number of growth points or cheers they have. This is a great way to recognise achievements and is a nice incentive for community users to involve themselves more within the community. Note: points will never be taken away. If you experience any issues with cheers or growth points, please contact the Help Desk [https://help.7cups.com/hc/en-us/requests/new?ticket_form_id=360002045893]. ------------------------- Part 2 - Badges Badges help the site run effectively! There are two elements to badges; to show recognition and to give access/privileges to different aspects of the site. Similarly to growth points and cheers, badges can be awarded manually or automatically. Automatic Badges The system will automatically reward you badges for completing various milestones across the site. Here are some examples: • For making a certain number of forum posts • For completing a certain number of group support chats • For joining the community or for completing your first chat • Listeners who complete trainings Manual Badges Admins and ambassadors will award manual badges to users for a number of different reasons: • To grant you access to perform a role once onboarded (e.g. editing or removing forum posts, moderating chatrooms) • To increase visibility of your role to others (e.g. so your role may show up in chat rooms as Community Leader, Mod, so it shows on your profile and browse listeners etc) • To allow you access to support other community users (e.g. supporting in group huddles or listeners being granted access to supporting teens once vetted) • To recognise your hard work after being nominated (e.g. being issued a badge to show you have done something amazing for the community or after you've taken part in a community initiative/event). For a full list of badges, please visit this [https://www.7cups.com/listener/training/points/] page. You can also find the most active badge holders for each badge by clicking "X Awarded" (note: this does not show member badge holders or badge holders who are currently inactive/on self-care break). Resources • What is the Community Leader badge? [https://www.7cups.com/forum/groupmod/GroupSupportInformationandUpdates_822/WhatistheCommunityLeaderBadge_305740/] ------------------------- Community Discussion What is your favourite 7 Cups badge? Why is this your favourite? Share your thoughts below!

7 Cups Training Courses /Self-Help Guides! Share your learning!

by

November 3rd, 2023

links for newbies

by Georginahowe

October 27th, 2023

Boundaries, Burnout, and Everything In Between

by tuffattack

September 15th, 2023

...See more @VioletNotes and I have been working on this post for a few weeks for now (: And we are excited to share it with all of you. I hope you all enjoy and maybe find this helpful! _____________________________________________________________________________________________ Let’s play an imagination game! *Close your eyes and imagine sitting on your phone/computer. It was an alright day and you’re in the mood to want to do something bigger. You find an amazing website called 7 Cups! Wow! I can help people and it gets me excited. It feels amazing; someone saying that the conversation helped! I feel happy and excited.* Many of us know that feeling. 7 Cups brings us joy and happiness when we help someone and make their day a little bit better. It can definitely be thrilling. And at the same time, destroy us mentally. New listeners on 7 Cups are most likely to experience burnout. Listening can become addictive and some listeners get 50-100 chats in one day! And slowly but surely, the joy we once had becomes a chore. So today, let’s talk about burnout and boundaries as newbies. So what is burnout? Burnout can be defined as exhaustion of emotional strength or motivation, as a result of prolonged stress or frustration. Similarly, compassion fatigue is a common risk for volunteers. Unlike burnout, though, it is caused by taking on the pain of others (members), and by caring too much. By doing this, you may become fatigued, and even withdraw emotionally. Now, you may be thinking, how can someone care too much? You’re right that caring is a great quality, and as a listener you are greatly appreciated for that! However, there can be too much of a good thing. Think back to how you’ve spent your first days on 7 cups. Maybe you took your first chat, and that went really well! Suddenly, though, you notice how many hurting people there are waiting in the general queue, so you take on a couple more chats. Maybe those go well too, but soon enough there are five more people waiting, and if you don’t help them, who will? Read more about pacing yourself here. Let’s look at some warning signs of burnout. At this point, you may be experiencing some uncomfortable and difficult emotions. Helping people is all that you want to do, but perhaps you start feeling emotionally exhausted, detached, or unaccomplished. When caring for so many people, it can be difficult to apply the same compassion that you once harbored for members. [emotional exhaustion; compassion fatigue] You might even find yourself thinking of members as tasks, and forgetting that they are real, often hurting, people. Dreading each “task,” or member, becomes your new reality. [detachment, depersonalization] Another warning sign that you may be experiencing burnout is a sense of demoralization. Feeling that you aren’t helping people, or that you aren’t making a difference is a common side effect of listening to so many members who are struggling. We cannot help everyone, and it is easy to forget that our main prerogative is simply to listen and be a supportive presence. It is possible to avoid all of this discomfort, and if you’ve yet to experience many of these symptoms, yay! I am relieved and happy for you. You’ve caught burnout early, and you can take every step necessary to make sure that it does not affect you to any greater extent. How? Setting boundaries and engaging in regular self-care is the best way to ensure that you are helping yourself to better help others. What is a boundary in relation to 7 cups? A boundary is a limit or line that you set. As a listener, this might be telling a member, “no.” Being able to take a step back from a constant influx of PMs is needed in order to make time for yourself and fully utilize self-care methods. Please take a deeper look at boundaries here [/?%20-%207%20Cups%20Forum] if you are continuing to feel the effects of burnout. Now, nobody said setting boundaries was easy… but here is what you can do if you are ever struggling: Reach out to a mentor. It is possible to go it alone, but talking it through with someone experienced can be an amazing thing too. To connect to a mentor, click here [https://tinyurl.com/ya9lju8z] So, here we are, experiencing some serious burnout and still juggling too many responsibilities. You aren’t alone! While it is common for new listeners to struggle with burnout, it can happen to anyone, even the most experienced listeners. Here’s the good news: there is a way out, and there’s a whole team of people here to help you. First, I would suggest rereading the section on boundaries. Though you may not have started out with strong boundaries, you can put them in place now to help yourself going forward. Now that we’ve dealt with that, you may still be feeling emotionally drained yourself. Self care is next on the agenda, one of the most important aspects of being a listener. Self care can be defined as, “the practice of taking an active role in protecting one's own well-being and happiness, in particular during periods of stress.” Note that this says particularly during periods of stress, not explicitly. Self care should be something that you practice consistently. How can you practice self care and implement it in your day-to-day life? First, we can start by listing some forms of self care. There is a broad range of ways to care for you, starting with basic needs and extending to emotional, practical needs. Read more about types of self care here One important thing to remember is that self care is not selfish. Focusing on you is sometimes the best way to move forward! Maintaining self care and continuing to practice it is what prevents burnout from coming back, so taking the time to recognize how valuable it is is essential. Read about a fellow newbie’s perspective on self care here. The main focus of this post is new listeners! So, what can you take away from this information? I would say that burnout is common, and you aren’t alone in experiencing it. However, we have lots of tools here on 7 cups to help you get back to your happy place, helping others and feeling fulfilled while taking care of you as well. Now it’s your turn! * What have your experiences been as a new listener relating to burnout, boundaries, and self care? * If you’re a seasoned listener, do you have any tips for newbies? * Lastly, comment what you learned! How might you implement all of this into your listener journey? *text in blue is clickable ------------------------- Tagging a few people who may enjoy this post @Tobedoctor @TabbyCat97 @SupportiveMitch @tommy @Amy @Frixndlyghost3708 @FrenchMarbles @Mahad2804 @DonaldDraper

Where is everyone from?

by sadbara

August 17th, 2023

Journal Prompts Anywhere on 7cups?

by gregariousDay8445

May 2nd, 2023

Long Term Listener Support

by Sunisshiningandsoareyou

February 3rd, 2023

...See more Hello lovely community! There have been several projects in the community that supported the 7 cups mission but were later dropped, one of these is the Long Term Support Listener- Member (earlier: Sponsor-Sponsee) project, which was basically a sort of formal arrangement for members and listeners to enter a long term supportive relationship in the community. The threads regarding the same are either archived or removed now, as it had outdated information mostly, and the program is officially inactive. However, we are well aware that many members do like to have long term/ regular support from listeners and that many of us still do engage in this practice, without any "formal" arrangement or agreeing to be a part of any project also (Which is awesome really). Keeping that in mind, the archived/ removed thread(s) had some great insight on why a long term relationship would be helpful, and some boundaries and ways to make the most out of one. Sharing that information with everyone here, those may still be interested in finding a long term listener as a member or vice versa: * Information for Members Many of you already have listeners who have been supporting you for many weeks and months, which is fantastic. In the upcoming weeks, you may want to ask these special listeners to be your long term listener. > While not all of your listeners may be able to take you on as their long term member. >The tips here will help you to connect with your listeners in a more structured way. (1) Why should you have a long term listener? * Consistency in your personal healing journey. Having someone you can regularly rely on for support will help you grow as a person * More strong ties to the 7 Cups community! Our community is diverse and beautiful. With your listener, you'll be able to explore the community & all its elements in new ways! * Goal setting! You can set a longer term goal and work towards it with your listener! (2) As a member, you may consider having a long term listener, when you're * Wanting long term support & personal growth * Looking for a longer term listener who can be there for you in a more structured way * Be able to respect your listener's personal boundaries * Willing to be vulnerable and open in sharing your story * Willing to commit to work with your listener, through check ins and follow ups. * Willing to set any goals for weekly/ monthly, need basis and sharing progress with your listener. (3) Can you have more than one long term listener? Yes, if you prefer to have more than one, it's fine also, however it may help to focus on building a stronger rapport with the ones you feel more comfortable with. (4) How can you find one? There are a few different ways you can find your listener! * Ask a listener you have been previously talking to and confirm if they're willing to extend long term support to you through regular chats! Let them know you appreciate them and want to continue to work together! * Search for listener on browse listeners, some mention in their bio about their preference and you can confirm if they are available for long term support. * You can post in the Member Classifieds Thread [https://www.7cups.com/forum/GeneralSupport_28/MembersClassifieds_360/MembersClassifieds_19581/] seeking a long term listener highlighting your preferences, areas of focus, etc. Listeners willing to be provide long term support will check these posts and contact you if they find your requirements suitable for themselves. * There is a Listeners Classifieds thread [https://www.7cups.com/forum/generalsupport/General_2440/ListenerClassifiedsOctober2024_337284/] where they can post their preferences/requirements. Please review their posts, take a look at these listeners' profiles and reach out to them if you believe they will be a good fit for you. (5) Setting & understanding healthy connection boundaries: To excel, we outline our expectations for respecting and maintaining personal boundaries with your long term listener. They are a volunteer and therefore need to be clear with you on when and how they are able to support you. As their long term member, it is your duty to openly discuss personal boundaries with them to ensure you both are on the same page regarding frequency of connection and topics that will be discussed. Setting boundaries is a crucial step in developing a supportive long term relationship with your listener. If they remind you about boundaries at any point during your time together, we ask that you be respectful and kind in hearing them out and open to making any necessary adjustments to your behavior. (6) Questions to ask for healthy boundary setting: * How many times a week are you able to connect with me? * Even if I know you are not online & have no expectation of a live chat with you, is it okay if I message you when I am feeling down? * Do you prefer to have scheduled chat times? And if so, what are those times? * How long do you like to chat for? 20 minutes, 30 minutes, 60 minutes ..etc. * How will you let me know if I have overstepped my boundaries? * Are there any topics you'd prefer we never talk about? There may come a time after your listener relationship is established, where your listener has to tell you that they need to take self-care or need to reset/have another conversation about boundaries. They may say something like this to “Hey XX. I greatly enjoy working with you and I am really proud of the work you have done so far. You have had great growth and I am glad that I have been able to be there for you. When we first started chatting, we agree to chat X time per week. This has been going really well. However, recently, i have noticed you are expecting me to reply and message you at a frequency that extends X per week. I want you to know I am here for you, but I need to maintain the boundary we set originally. I set this boundary for myself and us as a team to ensure that I am able to keep up with the demands of being your sponsor. I am sending this message to you because I care about you and I want to continue to work together.” If you receive a message like this, we will ask that you accept it professionally. It is not personal at all. It is just how we ensure healthy long term relationships, while communicating and working with healthy boundaries (you get to learn about setting boundaries too, add that as a plus for long term relationships hehe). You may never receive a message like this, but if you do, we want you to know that it is okay! This is a moment to readjust your behavior to ensure a healthy listener/ member relationship, and work together to reach a common ground/ decide the better course of action. (7) Something to keep in mind about building a supportive long term 7 Cups relationship: You may need to ask a few listeners before you find the right fit to be a long term connection. If a listener has already committed to work long term to another member, they may need to turn you down. This is not personal! It will happen & we encourage you to keep looking and asking till you find a long term listener for yourself! ------------------------- * Information for Listeners Many of you already have members you have been supporting for many weeks and months. In the upcoming weeks, you can invite these members to be your long term members. This will give you the opportunity to support your members in a more structured way if you choose. Why should you become a long-term listener: * You want and are able to support someone in a more long term way * You want to build a supportive relationship with your member so they may have more support through their struggles * Having a longer term, consistent support network sets up more effective conditions for a member to heal and work through issues in their life * Gives you the opportunity to give back to the 7 Cups community in a new way * Helps you further develop and refine your active listening skills. This program can give you more experience to learn and improve your skills. How much of my personal story do I need to share with my long term member? The focus of your relationship should be on the member and supporting them through their struggles. As this is a longer term relationship with a member, you may be presented with the opportunity to share small parts of your own story to motivate or inspire them. However, it is important to keep in mind that the relationship is not for the purpose of mutual support. We ask that you carefully consider what you share about yourself, ensuring that whatever you share is in the best interest of your member. This question may also play a role in how you set boundaries for yourself. The goal is to build a professional and empathetic relationship with your member, over a continued period. Note: For personal support, listeners must always use their Member account. How do I get started? * You can ask your current members if they need long term support * Check out the classifieds and see if any member's preferences suit your comfort. * Peruse the Classifieds category in the General Support community [https://www.7cups.com/forum/generalsupport/Classifieds_360/] where members make individual posts. * You may also mention in your bio that you accept long term members. Mindful reminders to make this as effective for both parties: * Set, communicate, reevaluate boundaries and expectations as often needed. * Prioritize your self care, and take breaks when you need them, Do communicate about the same with your members. * Agree upon a mutual schedule, daily/ weekly time for chats, time duration of the chat, regular follow ups and check ins etc. The above mentioned has been copied from the outdated threads, which was typically coherent for the "sponsor/ sponsee" relationship, but may be used to strengthen a long term member and listener support relationship even now, without any formal announcement or arrangement, for one between the listener and member themself. ------------------------- We hope this helps in establishing some supportive relationships and ensuring you get the support you need. ❤

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