Patrick Abboud: Don’t Be Afraid To Ask For Help

“Never be afraid to say ‘I need help. I’m alone. I’m struggling’. It doesn’t show a sign of weakness. It shows strength to put your hand up and say, ‘Hey, I need some help’,” says Patrick Abboud.

“There will always be someone there ready to listen.”

Currently reporting for The Project on Network 10, this Walkley award-winning broadcaster, documentary filmmaker, journalist, presenter, and father is also an ambassador for LGBTQI youth mental health organisation, Twenty10. 

“What Twenty10 does is amazing. They create so many possibilities for young people to turn their lives around,” he says.

“Helping people to be visible and feel safe is so so incredibly important. So, of course, I want to support that.”

Abboud: I Found Ways to Process that Pressure So My Mental Health is Not Adversely Affected

Abboud talked with Star Observer about how he deals with life’s anxieties and stresses while not letting them hinder his busy life. 

“Being in the spotlight, it can get really tough and I’ve had very personal experiences struggling with mental health myself, in terms of developing anxiety and trying to work out how to compute that best because I live in a world and I work in a world that feels like it revolves around constant pressure.”

“I found ways to process that pressure, so my mental health is not adversely affected.” 

To look after his mental health, Abboud has regular check-ins with his partner, and enjoys swimming, hiking, ocean walks, staying connected with family, and spending time with his son.

Abboud: Understand the Importance of Striking Balance

He says, “I think it’s really important for everybody, no matter what you do, or how you spend your days to understand the importance of striking that balance and not pushing yourself to the extreme because I’ve been there. 

When asked if he had any advice for his younger self, Abboud quickly responded, “Slow the fuck down. You don’t have to jump at every opportunity. Take your time. That’s the biggest lesson I’ve learned.”

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Moving forward, Abboud would love to see the northern lights.

“I really want to see the northern lights in the flesh.“I’m obsessed with anything Icelandic,” he says.

“I think that will be a really beautiful thing just to kind of stand under the open sky and see such a beautiful natural phenomenon. And have the reminder that, at the end of the day, we are just a speck of dust. The world is infinite and we’re only a small part of that.”