What does "safe" mean to you here?

@Heather225

i feel like 7 cups is my safe place to write on my journal and to write my thoughts and feelings down it’s like a beautiful ocean where it is peaceful and to me it’s a good feeling and way to express myself.

@Heather225 To me, feeling safe on here means having someone that won't judge me for who I am, what I've gone through, or the way I express myself. I want to be here for anyone that needs it and my hope is that others will do the same. 

One phrase that instantly brings me safety is "Caterpillars dream, butterlies fear". It's from a song by my favourite band (Mili) and it honestly hits deep, but whenever I hear that song or those lyrics, it makes me think of the times I would snuggle up under my bed with headphones on listening to her music.

@Heather225

1. When you think of feeling safe on 7 Cups, what does it actually feel like for you?- It feels like a place I can open up about whatever I have on my mind. I can share thoughts freely and openly.
2. What does the word "safe" look like in your mind? (If you picture a visual, a color, or a place, what is it?)- I picture a cozy book nook when I can read endless stories but also tell my story as well.

@Heather225 

The first thing I thought of upon reading this forum post was Stephen Porges's quote. "If you want to improve the world, start by making people feel safer." This quote evokes the idea of what feeling safe looks like in my mind. 

It means creating spaces — emotional, digital, physical — where people don’t have to brace themselves. Where they don’t have to defend, perform, or shrink. When people feel safe, they soften. They listen. They connect. They become more generous, more curious, more willing to imagine better possibilities. Safety is the soil that kindness grows in, the condition that lets people heal, learn, and show up as their best selves. Improve safety, and you unlock everything else.

For me "feeling safe" on 7 Cups isn't an emotion the way it makes me feel but more about the state of the space 7 Cups is able to hold for me. 

It feels like:

• My shoulders finally dropping after being tense for hours
• A deep exhale I didn’t realize I was holding in
• A room where nothing bad is about to happen
• Being understood without needing to over-explain
• A pause button on the world’s noise
• A soft landing after a long fall
• A moment where I don’t have to be strong
• I can come as I am without having to perform
• I don't have to put on a mask that says "I'm fine"
• I don't have to carry everything alone

Additionally, feeling safe on 7 Cups feels like being in a space where I can hold calm for myself while also supporting my ability to be a listener, a leader, and a steady presence for others— a space where I can rest, but also help cultivate rest; where I can receive support, but also help build a community that feels warm and steady even when life or the world outside doesn't, where safety isn't just something that happens for me, but something that I actively help create through the way I show up, care, and make room for others to breathe. 

@Heather225

1. When you think of feeling safe on 7 Cups, what does it actually feel like for you? So, for me feeling safe means being able to express myself freely.
2. What does the word "safe" look like in your mind? (If you picture a visual, a color, or a place, what is it?) I guessI guess a safe place for me always involved nature somehow.
3. What is a word or phrase that instantly brings you a sense of safety? A word or phrase that instantly brings a sense of safety? Not sure. I feel like when I’m safe with myself then I am safe with others.

I feel "safe" on 7cups when i remember that a user cannot affect me with inappropriate intentions. The safety team is doing well with such accounts. Also, you can protect yourself and the others with either blocking someone who is being unprofessional or flag the account.

@Heather225

Well id like to think of safety as judement free , compassion, support and adaptability; as in when faced new ideas, its not met with negativity but instead curiosity and trying to understand the perspective. 😊 Safety for me would be a place that is calm and w/ understanding ppl, ppl who dont expect you to rush ur healing or ur regulation or anything, ppl who can understand emotions and etc, and ppl who make you feel at ease consistently even when theres a shift or issue, it has good repair. A nice cozy safe space with loving people that dont make you fear the worst and some nature too! 🍀

1. Id say it feels like judgement-free! Freedom from being judged by ur problems or issues or situations, or your identity. Id say adaptability, again, if a new idea or unique situation rises its met with compassion and curiosity, not negativity. Id say compassion and repair too! If there were something unpleasant to happen, i can speak up abt it or someone could and there could be repair within community.

   safe for me would feel like a blooming in my chest, a soft smile and feeling okay to be anything around someone or somewhere, feeling free

2. Id say surround by safe people that understand me and my state, and allow me to be myself and guide me gently, and id say somewhere in a sunny morning/afternoon in nature! 💖

3. “Youre okay, youre not judged here, if anything happens know it can be repaired, trust that no matter what happens we can work thru it n repair it.”❤️‍🩹

Family. You guys are my chosen family. <3

@Heather225

1. Feeling safe here for me is knowing I can be myself. Just like anywhere, there are all types of people and personality types, and we have different relationships/closeness. But I feel a kind of freedom and inclusion that I am enough as I am and don't have to put on masks to fit in.

2. "Safe" to me is like a cozy room where I can settle in, take a deep breath, and relax.

3. "I am enough."