There are people in my circle who tell me they do not watch TV news or log in to news websites. They cite maintaining their mental well-being as their reason. Two of my nearest and dearest earn their living as journalists, one in a TV newsroom the other as a radio talk show host. I worry for their well-being. Indeed, over the years I have coached several journalists. Well-being and work-life balance has been a common thread – I would venture to say they suffer more chronic conditions and some of them report having bad dreams regularly.
Maintaining objectivity, being free from fear or favour can be challenging. One young writer told me recently that her Iranian childhood friend was caught up in the USA airstrikes last week. Another journalist told me of the messages being received from relatives who are in bomb shelters. Each one of these professionals strives to disassociate from personal emotion and to maintain objectivity in their journalistic engagement.
I used to think that treatment for post traumatic stress disorder (PSTD) for professionals belonged to the realm of the military, the police and first responder emergency care workers. Now I think journalists should be added – not just war reporters, but normal journalists whose daily work menu involves reporting on what is mainly bad news. Their daily work environment is one of tension and drama.
In work environments which are high stress, what is the responsibility of the employer to support employees? One of our RSA banks offers mindfulness training to employees and has a dedicated room permanently available to people to sit in undisturbed quiet. In London there is a financial services company who has offered Transcendental Meditation training to employees who work on trading floors.
Perhaps one day these will become common workplace wellness practices. It takes time for culture to shift – in the meantime how do individuals best look after themselves in an informed manner. What strategies can protect individuals from being overwhelmed by chronic anxiety?
Yes, there are “recipes” – I will come to the wellness tick box list – but one of the more nuanced and essential ingredients is self-observation. What do you notice about yourself that supports you, and what do you do that hurts, harms, or disturbs you?
Your heart rate tells your story of how you are responding to a situation. You can buy a wearable heart rate monitor that displays your heart rate rhythm patterns. It is well-documented that an increase in stress, which shows up in your heart rate, is the most common response to listening to and or watching news.
I’m committed to a daily dose of news, online in the morning, and 30 -40 minutes of channel hopping in the evening. Sunday is the one day we still buy a printed newspaper. I balance the sober reporting of the news and business section with the distraction of the Lifestyle.
But lately I’m noticing this attempted balance is not working. I’m dismayed when I read of yet another Auditor General’s report of irregular expenditure in the billions of rands. I’d (naively?) hoped that the Zondo commission would stop the rot. That hope has sadly faded. As for the balance with the Lifestyle distraction, the Sunday Times “bold beading sculptural shapes and statement pieces” and dresses at R20000 a pop did not work for me this weekend.
What to do to keep a balance and stave off anxiety overwhelm in an unstable world? Keep noticing your responses.
Take care to listen to news well before you plan to go to bed. You need to factor in a recovery period. That is not only with regards to the mental assault but also because of how screen lights affect out brains. “Sleep is our superpower” in the words of New York University sleep expert Matthew Walker, author of “Why we sleep.” Sleep is regenerative. It is needed to maintain our immune system. Make time for sleep. Respect!
The wellness tick box list includes exercise, healthy eating, breathwork, a gratitude practice and acceptance that bad stuff happens.
It said that exercise is one of main indicators of longevity. Our ancestors did not sit for hours, sedentary, glued to screens. It is possible that exercise might be one of your best strategies – the secret is to work out what form of exercise best suits you and your schedule.
Comfort food can be amazing in the moment, or many moments of moreish consumption but there is often a price to pay. Keep noticing yourself. My consumption of comfort food rocketed last week but my mood continued to plummet, and I felt sluggish. It was a bicycle ride with grandchildren that was the mood shifter. Thank goodness for having access to the laughter of small children.
There is a new study recently published about “Flourishing” which is defined as a “sense of well-being that goes beyond happiness and/or success” Victor Counted, one of the researchers/authors, describes the outcomes of this global study which involved 200 000 people in 22 countries.
The “flourishing” study is multidimensional and notes the importance of how an individual relates to their whole environment, socially, spiritually, and ecologically.
That’s the bigger picture.
In the meantime, the minutiae of our daily lives matter to support our sustained well-being, especially for employees working in high stress environments. As turmoil unfolds in our world, well-being support for news journalists should be considered as a special case.