Came here looking for help and ended up becoming a listener

That's awesome :) When I first came to 7 Cups of Tea (I actually cannot remember how I got ahold of this website) I tried and tried to connect to a Listener but never did :( Oh well. That very night, I was trying to find the "create account" button, and I finally did after trail and error. I signed up to be a Listener, and I was so nervous that I would fail the initial Listener exam. I passed, and now I'm where I am. I am now hoping to be verified, a passer of all the training courses, both the Active Listenings, and have great badges. I am sure you do as well! If not, I encourage all of you to do so :) Remember, the badge count you have doesn't define how stellar of a Listener you are. It doesn't matter if you have just the badges from the initial training, or every badge you could receive on 7 Cups of Tea. What matters is if you Listen well. I personally am not a fan of badges, I think it takes away the purpose of 7 Cups of Tea. It makes people just want to get badges, instead of truly helping them. Keep up the good work!<3

Hi there ☺ I also came looking for support, but if I'm honest, I struggled to get it. I didn't "fit in" anywhere, and could not really find a chat or forum which supported my type of illness. I'm going through chemotherapy and have been for the last 43 weeks. The listeners I've had have been very compassionate and try their utmost to understand and I really do thank them for their efforts. I soon became a listener, and it's one of the best things I did. You see, when I'm here supporting other individuals I also gain lots more strength. I am trying to make a difference here, and get a chemo room of forum integrated in to 7 cups! I think this place is amazing and big enough to accommodate such a place So people like me and their families can come along and have somewhere to reach out to and have the support they deserve.

This is very similar to me. I wanted help but then i ended up becoming a helper :P One of the best decisions i have made though

I'm actually on this site right now for help with an issue I'm dealing with and just hoping to have someone to talk to, but I'm thinking about becoming an active listener but I'm afraid I won't pass the tests! I'm nervous to go through with it. All my life I wanted to help people and I'm thinking about becoming a youth counselor and this would be great experience for me. Just have to stop being so nervous and go for it!

Hey :) I was actually inthe exact same situation! As soon as I got my help, I read on about the guides and then about how to become a listener. I instantly knew that I would be interested in helping people that way that somebody had helped me. So I decided to go for it. And here I am today, working hard but enjoying my time here as a listener

Tried to post to this earlier but didn't go through - pardon me if I repeat myself -

So I also came for help and in a short time decided to become a listener. So glad I did! This is having an impact on my whole life. I hear my family more clearly and can help them find their own solutions, or just feel like they have truly been heard. I love the 1-1 support chats. I love experiencing thegenerosity of spirit and trustbetween listener and member. In my daily life I feel more connected to people, even to passing strangers.

just searching the web for "depression support" - and 7 Cups found me

I've been in a funk for 2 months - dealing with major depression and anxiety (I ended up in the hospital in May). I've tried 4 different medications with little relief and seen three different therapists/counselors and a new psychiatrist.

finding 7 Cups this week has been a life-changer - what a supportive network of caring individuals all at the grasp of simply signing in and seeking.

I'm so thankful for this place - I feel really positive and hopeful moving forward with such a warm community.
we can be better - and we will all be well.

thanks [heart]

I couple of days ago, my depression was getting the best of me and Iwas going to commit suicide. But of course Iwas not 100% set on this so Ithought Iwould give it one last chance and I looked up online chat for suicidal people and found beyond blue. Ilooked through the website and down the bottom, very small, was a link to 7cupsoftea. Ithough 'hey tha'ts kind of a cute name for a site'and that's the first time Ismiled in a very long time. Isaw this as a sign and clicked on the link. At first I was chatting to a very helpful young lady who suggested, after a while of talk, that Ibecome a listener. So, yeh. Here Iam, I feel like Iam making a difference. Ilove seeingall these different people working through there problems by talking to a stranger. Ilove how this comunity works. Ithink it is very nobaleto spear some of your personal time to talk to people in need. Compassion and Empathy, It can change someones bad mood in an instant.

How do you become a listener?

I did the same and after I had more knowledge to help I became a listener