I don't know about you, but when the weather gets cold, it gets dark earlier and the sky is gray more days than not, I find myself getting a little bit down. Seasonal Affective Disorder, known as "seasonal depression" or "seasonal blues" is a health condition that occurs during seasonal transitions, typically starting in the fall and getting … [Read more...]
5 Important Reasons to Take Time Off
I was sitting in my hotel room in the Dominican Republic, looking out at the beautiful view of the resort's swimming pools and the ocean in the distance, and I was working. I was at the resort for my daughter's senior trip. Granted, she was off with dozens of her friends, so I wasn't really planning to spend the day with her, but that didn't … [Read more...]
Why You Need to Care for Yourself and How to Do It
The world is not always a happy place. You can look at the news on any given day and see stories about death, crime and abuse. It easy to let it bog you down, especially when you're in charge of covering such news. Journalists are nearly guaranteed to cover traumatic events—events that result in death or near death. More than 80 percent of … [Read more...]
It’s Normal to Feel Sad. Yes, Even for You.
I am not a doctor. I don’t even play one on TV. I am a social scientist. Most of you probably know or expect that since I’m a professor. What you may not know is that I study emotional trauma. Here’s the ugly truth. We’re all exposed to a lot of traumatic events, those which result in at least one person's death or a near-death experience. … [Read more...]
Reporting on Trauma Victims
The smell was the first thing I noticed when I sat down next to him on the wooden bench, which seemed formerly to have been a church pew. He smelled like grease from the factory where he worked, sweat, cigarettes, and something I can only describe as "dirt." He greeted me, and I responded with a "how are you doing?" A stupid question, given that we … [Read more...]
How to Find Your Motivation When You ‘Just Don’t Want To’
We all have days when we just don't want to. I'm having one of those days today. It started with a text before 6 a.m. from my son, who was staying the night with a friend. He had a stomach ache and soon started vomiting. I got him home and in bed just in time to wake my daughter up for basketball camp. If you have a teenager, you understand … [Read more...]
Coping with Emotional Trauma in the Newsroom
I'll never forget the first rape I covered. I was a 21-year-old cub reporter at a five-day-a-week community newspaper. I received the affidavit on a Friday afternoon during a regular visit to the county courthouse. The district attorney offered it up as something he knew would interest the paper. I thanked him and took the papers without looking at … [Read more...]
