November is Men’s Health Month. And because raising awareness starts by speaking up, I want to share something personal today.
One of the toughest periods in my life was when I discovered that my son has some special needs while carrying the weight of everything else that comes in my life. The struggle was real. And for a long time, I didn’t know where to put it all.
As an Arabic man, I was raised in a society that never gave men the space to cry, to feel, or to show vulnerability. From childhood, the message was clear: you are man and men don’t cry. And when I got married and got kids, the society message was even being clearer: be strong, because your family leans on you. But no one ever asked — where do I lean? What do I do with all those emotions and feelings I keep pushing deeper and deeper inside?
I kept suppressing everything. Until one day, out of nowhere, I got a severe panic attack.
It was one of the scariest experiences of my life. But it was also a wake-up call.
That panic attack led me to seek help — both a psychologist and a psychiatrist. The journey was long. It wasn’t easy. I had to unlearn deeply rooted traditions and start from scratch— learning how to discover my emotions, how to differentiate them, and how to express them without shame.
And here is what I learned:
It’s OK not to be OK. It’s OK for a man to cry. It’s OK to feel weak, hurt, fragile, or lost. Recognizing those feelings — not running from them — was the first and most important step in my journey.
If you are going through something similar, speak up. Talk to someone you trust — a family member, a close friend, or a professional. Men’s mental health is not a taboo. Even as an Arabic man, I can say that openly today. Expressing your emotions is not weakness. It is the beginning of healing!
