|
Similar to police, firefighters, and first responders to critical incidents,
journalists are often exposed to highly stressful, traumatic situations, and
required to bear witness to others who have been overwhelmed by traumatic
events. While emergency workers have, particularly in the last decade, recognized
the need for self-care and organizational safe-guards, journalists may not
yet have been recognized as potential candidates for employee safeguards and
increased support.
While journalists are increasingly feeling more comfortable talking about the
effects that covering violence and other traumatic events has had on them, this
was not always the case. In the past, many journalists chose not to talk about
their feelings of fear, anxiety, depression, anger and other emotions because
those expressions might be construed by others as a sign of weakness and inability
to do the job. Today, even nationally prominent journalists such as the New
York Times' Rick Bragg, CNN's Christiane Amanpour and retired veteran broadcast
journalist Bernard Shaw have spoken publicly about the emotional and psychological
difficulty of covering certain kinds of news stories.
At a conference at the University of Washington several years ago, one journalist talked about the difficulties of
covering an adult-child sex ring case that dragged on for two years and other emotionally taxing stories. "Everyday
I get up and there's this river, this wild raging river," she said, "and I take a deep breath, and I dive in and at the
end of the day I claw out, and the next day I jump back in. I don't feel that I ever have time to think about what I'm doing."
What journalists need to remember is that there may be a number of potential
stress reactions they may have when they write about particularly stressful
or traumatic topics — murders, car accidents, sexual assaults and other violence.
It is also possible that they may experience traumatic stress symptoms themselves
after covering these kinds of stories over a long period of time.
As described in parts 2 and 4, people who are regularly exposed to traumatic
stress may experience reactions that are adverse to their mental and physical
health, such as cynicism, isolation, excessive smoking or drinking, compulsive
behavior like overeating or illicit drug use, anger, anxiety, avoidance, depression,
and so forth.
Coping Strategies
There are a number of common strategies that individuals utilize when
coping with extraordinary stress in their lives. These strategies, while effective
at manageable levels of stress, can become unproductive or detrimental when
stress reaches overwhelming or traumatic levels. Common coping mechanisms
have been grouped into six types of categories:
Reappraisal
- I challenge the thought's validity
- I analyse the thought rationally
- I try to reinterpret the thought
- I try a different way of thinking about it
- I question the reasons for having the thought
Punishment
- I tell myself not to be so stupid
- I punish myself for thinking the thought
- I get angry at myself for having the thought
- I shout at myself for having the thought
- I slap or pinch myself to stop the thought
- I tell myself that something bad will happen if I think the thought
Worry
- I replace the thought with a more trivial thought
- I dwell on other worriesI worry about more minor things instead
- I think about the more minor problems I have
- I think about past worries instead
- I focus on different negative thoughts
Distraction (Cognitive)
- I call to mind positive images instead
- I focus on the thought
- I think pleasant thoughts instead
- I think about something else
Social Control
- I do not talk about the thought to anyone
- I keep the thought to myselfI avoid discussing the thought
- I find out how my friends deal with these thoughts
- I ask my friends if they have similar thoughts
- I talk to a friend about the thought
Distraction (Behavioral)
- I occupy myself with work instead
- I keep myself busy
- I do something that I enjoy
Of the above coping strategies, research has shown that:
- Punishment is associated with depression and anxiety
- Use of punishment decreases with recovery
- Worry is associated with anxiety
- People who recovered used less worry
- Distraction increases with recovery, and remains the same in those who do
not recover
- Reappraisal reduces depression and intrusions, but depression may reduce
the ability to reappraise (which is one of the most effortful strategies)
- Recovery was associated with increased use of reappraisal (Reynolds and
Wells, 1999)
Individuals with strong coping skills often choose to:
- focus on brief time intervals when in a problem-solving mode (e.g., thinking
only about what to do next) or focus on extended time intervals to obtain
a less devastating picture of the trauma (e.g., as one tragic event in a full
and meaingful life)
- maintain a view of the self as competent and of others as willing and able
to provide support
- focus on the current implications of the trauma and avoid regretting past
decisions and actions (Horowitz, 1986)
The process of "converting" traumas into growth experiences has the following
characteristics:
- It is a cognitive process
- It is usually done by the individual alone, but confidants can also suggest
new interpretations
- It usually occurs between 2 weeks and 4 months following the stressor
- It can enhance coping with subsequent stressors
- It usually depends more on individual's psychological resources than on
the characteristics of the stressor event
- It is intuitive, rapid, and sudden, rather than an extended logical thinking
process ("sudden insight," "flash," "revelation.") (Finkel and Jacobsen, 1977)
There are also healthy coping mechanisms that have been suggested by journalists
and editors themselves and tried out in newsrooms across the country. Debriefing
opportunities after a community tragedy has been shown to be helpful, as well
as making mental health services readily available for those who need them.
The act of seeking mental health counseling needs to be de-stigmatized in
the newsroom culture so that journalists will feel comfortable accessing those
kinds of services. Peer support is also beneficial. Often there is one or
more individuals in a newsroom who a troubled employee can seek out for empathy
and friendly counsel. The person or persons providing this counsel, however,
needs to be careful not to become too overwhelmed by others' emotional pain.
Editors and other newsroom managers can take a leading role in letting journalists know they work in a caring newsroom.
Hosting a workshop on journalism and trauma can help prepare journalists to deal with potential problems related to
covering traumatic events. Calling the newsroom together to discuss problems and concerns during or after a traumatic
event shows concern not only for the journalists but for the community that the journalists are reporting on.
A potentially harmful coping mechanism to both the journalist and community is the effect of desensitization to others'
emotional pain and psychological distress. While it is often necessary to compartmentalize one's emotions temporarily
to get through a difficult period and do what it takes to get a story written, it is harmful to stop feeling altogether.
The inability to empathize in the process of getting a story could cause the journalist to add trauma to an already
traumatized victim. Journalists need time and encouragement to process their emotions, to deal with their feelings of
sadness or anger or horror or confusion, and not repress them.
A good internal and external support system is critical. Some people meditate, take long walks, listen to relaxing
music, enjoy quiet baths, seek spiritual retreat or sustenance, and treat themselves to massages and other extravagances
when they are feeling "stressed out." This, coupled with a network of caring family, friends and health professionals,
provide constructive relief to a stressful work life.
Reducing stress in one's life, especially when one has a busy and stressful
job, usually requires thoughtful planning and deliberate action. Work can be
all-consuming, leaving little time to think about how to rest, relax and enjoy
life. Unfortunately this self-neglect can lead to physical and mental deterioration.
Countless studies have by now established a clear link between stress and sickness.
Journalists, like all people who work at stressful jobs, need to create a wellness
program for themselves that takes into account healthy eating, exercise, recreation,
relaxation and, if necessary, physical and mental treatment.
Practice Lifestyle Balance
Besides being more aware of coping strategies, there are many ways to
restore lifestyle balance, and keeping track of and making progress with as
many of the following changes is a good way to regain balance after having
been exposed to or witnessed cumalative traumatic experiences:
Physical Self-Care
- Eat regularly (e.g. breakfast, lunch, dinner)
- Eat healthily
- Exercise
- Get regular medical care for prevention
- Get regular medical care when needed
- Take time off when sick
- Get massages
- Dance, swim, walk, run, play sports, sing, or do some other physical activity
that is fun
- Take time to be sexual—with yourself, with a partner
- Get enough sleep
- Wear clothes you like
- Take vacations
- Take day trips or mini-vacations
- Make time away from telephones
Psychological Self-Care
- Make time for self-reflection
- Have your own personal psychotherapy
- Write in a journal
- Read literature that is unrelated to work
- Do something at which you are not expert or in charge
- Decrease stress in your life
- Notice your inner experiences — listen to your thoughts, judgements, beliefs,
attitudes, and feelings
- Let others know different aspects of you
- Engage your intelligence in a new area, e.g., go to an art museum, history
exhibit,sports event, auction, theater performance
- Practice receiving from others
- Be curious
- Say no to extra responsibilities sometimes
Emotional Self-Care
- Spend time with others whose company you enjoy
- Stay in contact with important people in your life
- Give yourself affirmations, praise yourself
- Find ways to increase your sense of self-esteem
- Reread favorite books, re-view favorite movies
- Identify comforting activities, objects, people, relationships, places,
and seek them out
- Allow yourself to cry
- Find things to make you laugh
- Express your outrage in social action, letters, donations, marches, protests
- Play with children
Spiritual Self-Care
- Make time for reflection
- Spend time with nature
- Find a spiritual connection or community
- Be open to inspiration
- Cherish your optimism and hope
- Be aware of nonmaterial aspects of life
- Try at times not to be in charge or the expert
- Be open to not knowing
- Identify what is meaningful to you and notice its place in your life
- Meditate
- Pray
- Sing
- Spend time with children
- Have experiences of awe
- Contribute to causes in which you believe
- Read inspirational literature (talks, music, etc.)
When to Seek Help
There may be times when the above self-help strategies are not effective in
reducing the effects of exposure to traumatic stress. Research has shown that
some changes associated with exposure to trauma may involve a change in brain
chemistry and function, and that the use of antidepressants is effective in
reducing both PTSD and depressive symptoms in individuals who are unable to
manage their symptoms behaviorally. Individuals have also shown partial or full
relief from post-traumatic stress symptoms through certain types of cognitive-behavioral
treatment. As stated in Part 2, seeking assistance from your medical doctor
or a mental health professional who is skilled in trauma is recommended if:
- you are experiencing any symptoms that are causing distress, significant
changes in relationships, or are impairing functioning at work
- you are self-medicating with alcohol or drugs
- you are unable to find relief with the strategies listed above
|
|
Table of Contents