Hi there @lollybella :) Here is my advice: don't bother looking at the Trending page anymore; it's gives people a false sense of what's really going on here, and sadly, like yourself, it makes users discouraged. I think coming to steemit is like moving to a new city and planning a really well thought out party (your posts); except that the day of the party, no one shows up. Why? because you haven't gone out to meet people yet. It's great that you joined groups, but keep commenting and engaging with others and trust me, eventually, they'll come to you.

You should join us at @abh12345's Curation and Engagement Leagues (his weekly post comes out every Sunday), where you can track your engagement/commenting and see how you "measure up" here. The more you comment and engage, the better chance you have of people eventually coming to your posts.

Speaking of joining things, I found your post because I'm one of the judges for our Pay it Forward Curation Contest; @macoolette featured your post in her entry. It's a great community to meet new, very kind and supportive people. Please consider joining us with an entry of your own next week. We'd love to have you there!