Nakad.

No… not Naked (ie nudity) unfortunately… but, Nakad.

Nakad is an arabic word that is ridiculously hard to translate into English due to the word encapsulating much more evocative sentiments than the English language can be used to describe. I shall try to describe it however, because as of late (in the last year or two), it has been a word that continuously comes to mind as I live my day-to-day life.

Nakad pertains to a situation of extreme calamity or adversity that ultimately manifests as a sensation of deep sorrow and misery. Perhaps a symptom of mild depression, or the result of a grave tragedy

When one goes through such a phase, it has become affectionately known as “being Nakadian”, especially among a few of my close Egyptian friends.

To alleviate such bouts of Nakad, one may trawl the internet for funny YouTube videos, crawl into a ball and cry (more common among the females), or perhaps get insanely aggresive and violent (more common in males, and confused females)… but regardless, it’s definately something that can unite people together…. and interestingly enough, the whole realisation that you are not alone is quite powerful in itself to rid you of being Nakadian. Except if you’re emo.