This was very hard to write but I'm glad I did, because mental health is important.

For this month's @IRE_NICAR journal: mental health, trauma interviews & the guilt that's followed me for six years. https://www.ire.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/ire_q3_2020.pdf

Can't say enough how much @milesmoffeit's support and edits meant.

Plus, from Miles, @anjucomet & me, a tipsheet on trauma (for more check out the @DartCenter at https://dartcenter.org/ )

Morning thoughts:

I have so much love for my editors at the @HoustonChron because they're supportive and in-tune with the mental toll our work can take.

But it hasn't always been like this.

I remember, right after this incident happened, alumni from my school paper said I had to write the story right away to "put the school paper on the map."

I couldn't even think about writing it, because thinking about it made me want to vomit.

Two years later, in an interview for a prize at my school, the ENTIRE interview focused on my mistakes in not capitalizing off the interview.

The only people who asked me if I was OK were my friends at the school paper. Not the adults in the room.

It took lots of therapy and talks with journalism mentors for me to realize: What happened wasn't my fault, and being upset about it was normal.

So if anyone wants to talk all things mental health/journalism, DMs are always open.

And because this thread has been super depressing, it's time for an alpaca picture https://twitter.com/BarnacreAlpacas/status/1298380805031497729