Friday March 29th, 2024
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This Online Community is Helping Egyptians Cope with Anxierty Surrounding COVID-19

Wa’t El ‘Ala’ Ehna Ma’ak is a Facebook community where licensed therapists offer advice, video snippets and answer questions on how to deal with the coronavirus.

Staff Writer

This Online Community is Helping Egyptians Cope with Anxierty Surrounding COVID-19

Many people are finding themselves at a loss and ridden with anxiety, stress and depression because of the difficult circumstances caused by COVID-19. This was the driving force behind the recent launch of Wa’t El ‘Ala’ Ehna Ma’ak (meaning, "In times of worry, we’re with you"), a Facebook community initiative where licensed independent therapists answer questions, and provide tips and advice on dealing with the psychological impact of the pandemic.

“Many people feel that this is not the time to focus on mental health, when in reality, now it is crucial to focus on one’s own mental wellbeing,” Dr. Ahmed Aboul Wafa, co-founder of the initiative, said. “This is the time to support people sitting at home and worried, and unfortunately, psychology is – way too often – ignored.”

The page offers daily videos with tips on how to deal with different situations stemming from COVID-19 such as anxious or confused children, the negative impacts of social media, and how to relax and meditate to cope with it all. Once a week, they post videos answering people’s mental health queries (both general queries and queries related to the coronavirus) that can be asked on ask.fm/mentalhealth4corona.

The initiative has also collaborated with Mawada, a marriage counselling platform, to provide information on how to overcome marital issues now that they're spending almost all their time in a confined space. The initiative also work with Shezlong as part of their Expo 2020 Dubai grant providing 15,000 free online therapy sessions to the public.

To view their helpful content and seek support, visit their page at facebook.com/corona.psychological.support.