For everyone concerned about my mental health post #Beirutexplosion - I have been into therapy for exactly a year now due to an accumulation of hostile coverages in addition to my repetitive anxiety attacks since 2016. I am very transparent about my mental health

Mental health is a priority for me, I always had a strong support network, some of my closest friends are mental health professionals, but I spent so much time looking for a therapist whom I can relate to. I finally committed to therapy last year.

That being said, I have been working with my therapist on processing the events of the Beirut explosion due to my continuous coverage, since I have interviewed so many survivors, their trauma indirectly affects us as journalists (AKA secondary trauma).

Yes therapy is a privilege, but for me to perform as steadily as possible, its a must. Before therapy I was being very unfair towards myself as a journalist, especially after the disappearance of a journo friend in Syria in 2013, & the assassination of a dear friend in 2015.

I really hope that every journalist out there uses and abuses therapy if its available, specifically us who cover events that are not only close to home, but are home.

We have a responsibility towards ourselves. Smart judgement resonates from a healthier mind.

And I hope that therapy is one day made more accessible to everyone in our region, in the Arab world and in Lebanon.

Therapy will be a vital part of our collective 'healing' in Lebanon years from now. We are all traumatized each in their own way since the #BeirutExplosions

My turning point to talk about mental health happened in the summer of 2016 in Turkey when I had a panic attack, walked out of hotel restaurant to clear my head but ended up almost walking straight to the highway upfront because my mind was somewhere else.

So please, Journalist or not, don't wait until it takes over and overwhelms you, don't fight the need to talk to someone.

#mentalhealth