Hi
I joined 7 Cups a couple of years ago but I never got the hang of using it. Plus, I have had so much to contend with, so much loss and sorrow. I had a nice business in advertising and production and I loved it. But computerization and outsourcing and the internet killed it off for me (and thousands of others). I have been under so much stress I realized my entire thinking and life had become stress/depression based. I cannot afford therapy but I am using ACT (Acceptance and Commitment Therapy) on my own via books. All of my family are gone and, having moved to another state, I have NO support base at all. I really look forward to making more use of what 7 Cups has to offer because I really need help. And, I would like to be able to help others. But I find it a bit confusing to get started. So, if anyone could lead me into using it I would be most appreciative. I have no community of my own and I would love to make 7 Cups my community. I just need help getting started. Thanks.
@Tsam2200
Hi there and welcome back. I am sorry to hear some of the things you are going through, I understand how difficult that can be.
I have been here as a listener at 7 Cups for about a month now. I was overwhelmed, (in a good way) by all the amazing information, learning opportunities, and support out here. It's as though this place is busting at the seams with information. It can be a little weird navigating at first. Here are some guides and quick training that I think you might be interested in checking out:
https://www.7cups.com/act-therapy-techniques/
https://www.7cups.com/getting-unstuck/
https://www.7cups.com/help-managing-emotions/
https://www.7cups.com/depression-help-online/
Here are some specific sub-communities I think might be worth highlighting here:
https://www.7cups.com/home/depression/
https://www.7cups.com/home/generalsupport/
Group Support Chats:
https://www.7cups.com/connect/groupChatrooms.php
Group Support Chat Schedule:
https://www.7cups.com/home/communityCalendar.php
There are great listeners out there if you ever want a 1:1 chat, all you would have to do is click on the ‘Chat’ and select ‘general request’ and that would pop you into a queue and the next available listener would connect with you.
https://www.7cups.com/BrowseListeners/
There are great listeners out there if you ever want a 1:1 chat, all you would have to do is click on the ‘Chat’ and select ‘general request’ and that would pop you into a queue and the next available listener would connect with you.
Oh and also if you want to search for listeners you can go here: https://www.7cups.com/BrowseListeners/
Here is a helpful place to start for an depth guide for getting the most out of Depression Support that I have recently come across:
Please feel free to shoot me a message if you need anything else or need someone to listen.
Take care
@Tsam2200 Sorry about the duplicate paragraphs there. I am not sure what I did there 
Thank you so much for the welcome and encouragement . . . and the wonderful links. I will follow up on all of them. This is such a big site it’s hard to know which path(s) to follow so thank you for giving me a road map. I read recently that about eight years ago some organization conducted a study and the majority of people said about five people knew them really well. They conducted the survey again about four years ago and respondents said only three people knew them well. In the latest survey about a year ago the majority of people said NO ONE knew them well! I have read again and again that psychological and wellness requires a support network; we are not designed to be alone. Yet so many of us are. I certainly am. Fortunately, on-line groups have been shown to be a fair substitute now that so many people have become so isolated. And with so many people working from home and without the camaraderie of co-workers, aloneness must only increase. So, we are indeed fortunate to have 7 Cups. Thank you again for your welcome and kind directions. 🙂
@Tsam2200
You are most welcome!
That is a really interesting study. You really put that into perspective here. When I first found 7 Cups I was really happy something like this exists, (still am). It felt like this amazing thing I had no idea I needed until I found it. And what you just laid out here is a huge part of it I think. Thanks for sharing that. I agree very much indeed that we are fortunate to have 7 Cups.