The evening conversations were going on
I said: Tell us about something other than death
They said: We are talking about war
I said: About other than war
They said: We are talking about the tears of the homeless
I said: Other than their tears
They said: About those who are waiting
I said: About those who are not waiting
They said: We do not know anything other than this, so what are we talking about?
Ziad Al Rahbani
Since the beginning of the Russian war on Ukraine, and with the successive events from the bombing of apartment buildings to refugee crises at the borders and nuclear threats, thousands around the world have been watching the crisis from afar, whether from their safe homes following the news, or by virtue of the nature of their work in newsrooms and newspaper corridors. While keeping track of what is happening around you has become an essential part of daily life, our current ability to access the latest developments with the touch of a phone screen has left us immersed in the heart of the action as if we are living it.
At a time when social media platforms struggle to highlight bloody and painful scenes and frame them in hysteria to attract more viewers, the impact of this news on our psychological well-being has become more severe and violent. This means that the warmth of your safe home will not protect you from a mixture of feelings of helplessness, fear, sadness, anxiety, and possibly feelings of guilt as well. Even those who are not directly concerned about the war have been affected in their countries by its indirect effects, such as increases in the prices of energy, gasoline and food commodities, which brings us feelings of anxiety and anticipation.
In my country, which is miles away from the war, the bread seller laughed sarcastically after I expressed my astonishment at the increase in the price of the loaf double in one day, and commented that he does not care about politics, but this distant war will starve us in our country..
live certificate for field
From screens to our minds… How does the news of war affect us?
Even when we’re not under direct physical threat, our bodies automatically and instinctively react to sensing states of threat and uncertainty. Our brains go into a state of high alert, and our organs react to this feeling of threat, with levels of the hormones adrenaline and cortisol rising. This is reflected in our physical signs, which leads to symptoms such as increased sweating, a racing heart and muscle tension.
A study published in the International Journal of Creative Research Thoughts in September 2021 reviews the impact of social media and war-related news on individuals’ mental health. The study tells us that excessive exposure to violent and negative media causes acute and long-term psychological effects that go beyond feelings of transient disapproval and pessimism. According to the study, feelings of stress and turmoil can be linked to physical symptoms such as rheumatoid arthritis, cardiovascular disease and other health problems caused by high cortisol associated with stress. This means that viewing violent images and videos can lead to triggers similar to those caused by exposure to actual violence.
In the same context, Dr. Graham Davy, a specialist in the psychological effects of media violence, indicated that exposure to violent media materials may stimulate depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder, especially in light of the fierce media competition between different media platforms to create content. A more emotionally and visually sharper photojournalist to attract followers (1).
These warnings are not new in any case, in a study conducted in 2001 and published in the “Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease”, it was revealed that people who followed the news about the events of 9/11 on television developed clear symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, and the study indicated that There is a direct proportion between the amount of time a person spends watching the action on the screen and the severity of symptoms.
Anxiety in the corridors of newsrooms
Things might seem simpler if they aren’t very relevant to your work, right? But what if you are one of those people whose jobs are linked to constant exposure to the news and tragedies of wars?
For many years, “Salma” worked as a translator for an international news agency, which exposed her to direct and daily contact with the news, so that the events of fighting, wars and bloodshed formed her daily hours. In her testimony to Maidan, “Salma” stated that excessive exposure to this type of substance often caused her to have episodes of stress, anxiety and depression, starting with local violent incidents that affect her and her family, and through global events that do not affect her directly.
At first, Salma needed to withdraw for a few minutes away from her office and cry in the bathroom until she calmed down, but the matter developed in a way that she felt threatened her mental health, which prompted her to make a fateful decision to turn her entire career path away from wars and their news.
Salma is not the only one who has struggled with work and direct exposure to violent news. While many news agencies are interested in providing physical safety standards for their reporters and journalists, they often do not give the same attention to preparing them and helping them understand how their work affects their psychological well-being.
For years, discussion of mental health and journalistic work has focused primarily on post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), with a primary focus on reporters and field journalists assuming that the disorder is limited to those who witness conflict firsthand, but at the same time, other disturbances have occurred. No less serious, and may be more prevalent such as anxiety, stress, depression and indirect trauma resulting from exposure to data and video clips.
In this context, it may be useful to hear about the experience of Hannah Storm, a journalist and media consultant who advises newsroom workers on journalists’ psychological safety and mental health issues, and is the founder and co-director of the Headlines Network set up to promote more open conversations about mental health. in the media.
Hana Storm shared her personal story back in 2010 while covering the earthquake in Haiti for a British news channel. What she said could not be compared to the levels of trauma experienced by the locals in Haiti, but it greatly affected her mental health, and only two months after her return from Haiti she decided to quit working in the editing room.
According to her testimony, in the following years, “Hannah Storm” continued to co-write many articles and reports on mental health without realizing that her primary motivation was her personal experience over the entire eight years, before realizing in 2018 that she still had symptoms of stress disorder. after shock.
Storm also spoke of what she called “moral damage”, which, unlike PTSD, anxiety disorders and depression, is not a mental illness, but can cause significant emotional distress if left untreated. Storm describes moral damage as damage to a person’s conscience or moral compass when he commits, testifies, or fails to prevent acts that contradict his moral values or code of conduct. Moral harm is linked to feelings of guilt and shame, and according to Storm: “Sometimes, we journalists find ourselves in situations where we have to give up what we think or see other people do it” (2).
To manage your journalistic work (or any other business that you have to deal with disasters or wars) and reduce the damage to your psychological well-being, Storm offers a set of tips: First of all, treat traumatic material with particular care. Hannah Storm has likened dealing with traumatic materials and traumatic images to dealing with radioactive materials that should limit exposure and be treated with caution. For example, Hana suggests minimizing shocking images when viewing them, to help you put what you’re seeing in context, and she also suggests focusing on a background detail in the image that is far from the shocking part. For videos, she suggests watching the clip without sound first and then hearing the sound later.
Storm also advised that you set a work time line that allows you to take a break after dealing with irritating substances. She also stressed the need to set strict boundaries between work and personal life, in order to protect yourself and your relationship with your family and loved ones as well. It is essential that you know how to leave work outside your doorstep (3).
How do you protect your children from being affected by the news of wars?
“At first I ignored mentioning what is happening in front of my eleven-year-old daughter, but I was surprised by her rumor that the third world war is coming, and her expectations are compared with what she learned in school history classes about the first and second world wars, to realize that my ignoring to mention the matter made her more anxious, Which prompted me to sit with her to reassure her, calmly explain what is happening, and answer her questions.”
Children may pick up a lot of false and scary news, whether from friends, classmates, or even social media. Prof Vivian Hill, from the British Psychological Association, recommends engaging in these challenging conversations and not holding them back, in an age-appropriate manner.
For younger children, keep your conversations with them as short and reassuring as possible, without overwhelming them with too much detail. For example, show them the location of Ukraine on the map so that they understand that what is happening is far away from them. In the case of older children or adolescents, you can tell them about the context in details appropriate to their age, direct them to reliable news sources, and talk to them about how to manage and deal with false news, and in all cases, you should focus on reassuring them.
And if your children are concerned about people in Ukraine, Hill suggests talking about measures people have taken to protect themselves, such as staying in safe shelters or moving to other, safer countries (4).
insomnia guilt
Ali M., 63, a pensioner, residing in one of Lower Egypt’s governorates, suffered; From the scourge of anxiety and the overwhelming feeling of helplessness and helplessness, as his only son traveled about 3 years ago to obtain a medical degree from a Ukrainian university, the man was counting the days to finish his school years and return, but after the news of the war began, he surrendered to the loss of effort and money that he expended during The past years, and all he wished only for his son to return to him safely.
As for “Iman”, an activist on social media, despite the fact that she has no relatives in Ukraine, she felt the same mixture of anxiety and helplessness as she watched the successive news about the suffering of Arab students and their attempts to survive. Iman said in her interview with Maidan: “Because I have a large number of followers on social networking pages, my posts about Arab students’ news, and my publications with numbers offering assistance and available places of refuge for Arab students made me feel that I am participating positively, even if in a small way, especially when I knew That these publications were the reason for the survival of some.”
Perhaps you are drowning in guilt for not being able to help, or just knowing that you are lucky to have survived and are safe in your own home, while others are suffering in shelters and under siege. Do not judge yourself or criticize yourself, but rather empathize with yourself as you empathize with others, and try to find a way to help positively. We all feel helpless when faced with wars and major events, and in those times helping others gives us a sense of satisfaction and control (5).
How do we heal our fragile selves?
While the world around you is wracked with tragedies, one of the most important things we can advise you to do is focus on what you can control rather than on things that are out of your control.
Remember that you cannot control the behavior of others, government policies, or the vagaries of nature, and that worrying about these things drains your energy that you can spare to improve the quality of your life and the lives of those close to you. And while you can’t control this far, you can still control how much clips and photos you watch, and how much sleep you get.
Exercise is also an important part of mental health management. Make sure to make exercise and movement an essential part of your day, even if you start with half an hour of walking or 15 minutes of yoga. Exercising helps you exercise alertness and be present in the place and time.
Stop being online all the time, defy your constant urge to flip through the news pages and follow them, turn off the network for a bit, and stay offline. Clinical psychologist Dr. Emma Hepburn recommends setting certain times of the day to watch the news or social media, then turning off and doing things that help you relax. She also recommended that you check where you’re getting your information from, and focus on facts rather than engaging in troubling speculation. Finally, you advise us to reduce viewing of graphic content or video clips (6).
Remember the past two years of how we have all lived on high alert since the beginning of the pandemic crisis. The crisis has taught us lessons, and it has taught us that every incident has its ups and downs. While waiting for the carrots, we advise you to maintain your safety and mental health as much as possible.
——————————————————————————
Sources
WAR-RELATED NEWS AND IMPACT ON MENTAL HEALTH: A REVIEW
My mental health journey: How PTSD gave me the strength to share my story
Six tips to take care of your mental health while covering the war in Ukraine from afar
Ukraine conflict: How to help yourself, your kids, and others
MANAGING ANXIETY DURING THE UKRAINE CRISIS – SMALL THINGS THAT CAN HELP IN BIG MOMENTS
Ukraine conflict: How to help yourself, your kids, and others
The evening conversations were going on
I said: Tell us about something other than death
They said: We are talking about war
I said: About other than war
They said: We are talking about the tears of the homeless
I said: Other than their tears
They said: About those who are waiting
I said: About those who are not waiting
They said: We do not know anything other than this, so what are we talking about?
Ziad Al Rahbani
Since the beginning of the Russian war on Ukraine, and with the successive events from the bombing of apartment buildings to refugee crises at the borders and nuclear threats, thousands around the world have been watching the crisis from afar, whether from their safe homes following the news, or by virtue of the nature of their work in newsrooms and newspaper corridors. While keeping track of what is happening around you has become an essential part of daily life, our current ability to access the latest developments with the touch of a phone screen has left us immersed in the heart of the action as if we are living it.
At a time when social media platforms struggle to highlight bloody and painful scenes and frame them in hysteria to attract more viewers, the impact of this news on our psychological well-being has become more severe and violent. This means that the warmth of your safe home will not protect you from a mixture of feelings of helplessness, fear, sadness, anxiety, and possibly feelings of guilt as well. Even those who are not directly concerned about the war have been affected in their countries by its indirect effects, such as increases in the prices of energy, gasoline and food commodities, which brings us feelings of anxiety and anticipation.
In my country, which is miles away from the war, the bread seller laughed sarcastically after I expressed my astonishment at the increase in the price of the loaf double in one day, and commented that he does not care about politics, but this distant war will starve us in our country..
live certificate for field
From screens to our minds… How does the news of war affect us?
Even when we’re not under direct physical threat, our bodies automatically and instinctively react to sensing states of threat and uncertainty. Our brains go into a state of high alert, and our organs react to this feeling of threat, with levels of the hormones adrenaline and cortisol rising. This is reflected in our physical signs, which leads to symptoms such as increased sweating, a racing heart and muscle tension.
A study published in the International Journal of Creative Research Thoughts in September 2021 reviews the impact of social media and war-related news on individuals’ mental health. The study tells us that excessive exposure to violent and negative media causes acute and long-term psychological effects that go beyond feelings of transient disapproval and pessimism. According to the study, feelings of stress and turmoil can be linked to physical symptoms such as rheumatoid arthritis, cardiovascular disease and other health problems caused by high cortisol associated with stress. This means that viewing violent images and videos can lead to triggers similar to those caused by exposure to actual violence.
In the same context, Dr. Graham Davy, a specialist in the psychological effects of media violence, indicated that exposure to violent media materials may stimulate depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder, especially in light of the fierce media competition between different media platforms to create content. A more emotionally and visually sharper photojournalist to attract followers (1).
These warnings are not new in any case, in a study conducted in 2001 and published in the “Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease”, it was revealed that people who followed the news about the events of 9/11 on television developed clear symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, and the study indicated that There is a direct proportion between the amount of time a person spends watching the action on the screen and the severity of symptoms.
Anxiety in the corridors of newsrooms
Things might seem simpler if they aren’t very relevant to your work, right? But what if you are one of those people whose jobs are linked to constant exposure to the news and tragedies of wars?
For many years, “Salma” worked as a translator for an international news agency, which exposed her to direct and daily contact with the news, so that the events of fighting, wars and bloodshed formed her daily hours. In her testimony to Maidan, “Salma” stated that excessive exposure to this type of substance often caused her to have episodes of stress, anxiety and depression, starting with local violent incidents that affect her and her family, and through global events that do not affect her directly.
At first, Salma needed to withdraw for a few minutes away from her office and cry in the bathroom until she calmed down, but the matter developed in a way that she felt threatened her mental health, which prompted her to make a fateful decision to turn her entire career path away from wars and their news.
Salma is not the only one who has struggled with work and direct exposure to violent news. While many news agencies are interested in providing physical safety standards for their reporters and journalists, they often do not give the same attention to preparing them and helping them understand how their work affects their psychological well-being.
For years, discussion of mental health and journalistic work has focused primarily on post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), with a primary focus on reporters and field journalists assuming that the disorder is limited to those who witness conflict firsthand, but at the same time, other disturbances have occurred. No less serious, and may be more prevalent such as anxiety, stress, depression and indirect trauma resulting from exposure to data and video clips.
In this context, it may be useful to hear about the experience of Hannah Storm, a journalist and media consultant who advises newsroom workers on journalists’ psychological safety and mental health issues, and is the founder and co-director of the Headlines Network set up to promote more open conversations about mental health. in the media.
Hana Storm shared her personal story back in 2010 while covering the earthquake in Haiti for a British news channel. What she said could not be compared to the levels of trauma experienced by the locals in Haiti, but it greatly affected her mental health, and only two months after her return from Haiti she decided to quit working in the editing room.
According to her testimony, in the following years, “Hannah Storm” continued to co-write many articles and reports on mental health without realizing that her primary motivation was her personal experience over the entire eight years, before realizing in 2018 that she still had symptoms of stress disorder. after shock.
Storm also spoke of what she called “moral damage”, which, unlike PTSD, anxiety disorders and depression, is not a mental illness, but can cause significant emotional distress if left untreated. Storm describes moral damage as damage to a person’s conscience or moral compass when he commits, testifies, or fails to prevent acts that contradict his moral values or code of conduct. Moral harm is linked to feelings of guilt and shame, and according to Storm: “Sometimes, we journalists find ourselves in situations where we have to give up what we think or see other people do it” (2).
To manage your journalistic work (or any other business that you have to deal with disasters or wars) and reduce the damage to your psychological well-being, Storm offers a set of tips: First of all, treat traumatic material with particular care. Hannah Storm has likened dealing with traumatic materials and traumatic images to dealing with radioactive materials that should limit exposure and be treated with caution. For example, Hana suggests minimizing shocking images when viewing them, to help you put what you’re seeing in context, and she also suggests focusing on a background detail in the image that is far from the shocking part. For videos, she suggests watching the clip without sound first and then hearing the sound later.
Storm also advised that you set a work time line that allows you to take a break after dealing with irritating substances. She also stressed the need to set strict boundaries between work and personal life, in order to protect yourself and your relationship with your family and loved ones as well. It is essential that you know how to leave work outside your doorstep (3).
How do you protect your children from being affected by the news of wars?
“At first I ignored mentioning what is happening in front of my eleven-year-old daughter, but I was surprised by her rumor that the third world war is coming, and her expectations are compared with what she learned in school history classes about the first and second world wars, to realize that my ignoring to mention the matter made her more anxious, Which prompted me to sit with her to reassure her, calmly explain what is happening, and answer her questions.”
Children may pick up a lot of false and scary news, whether from friends, classmates, or even social media. Prof Vivian Hill, from the British Psychological Association, recommends engaging in these challenging conversations and not holding them back, in an age-appropriate manner.
For younger children, keep your conversations with them as short and reassuring as possible, without overwhelming them with too much detail. For example, show them the location of Ukraine on the map so that they understand that what is happening is far away from them. In the case of older children or adolescents, you can tell them about the context in details appropriate to their age, direct them to reliable news sources, and talk to them about how to manage and deal with false news, and in all cases, you should focus on reassuring them.
And if your children are concerned about people in Ukraine, Hill suggests talking about measures people have taken to protect themselves, such as staying in safe shelters or moving to other, safer countries (4).
insomnia guilt
Ali M., 63, a pensioner, residing in one of Lower Egypt’s governorates, suffered; From the scourge of anxiety and the overwhelming feeling of helplessness and helplessness, as his only son traveled about 3 years ago to obtain a medical degree from a Ukrainian university, the man was counting the days to finish his school years and return, but after the news of the war began, he surrendered to the loss of effort and money that he expended during The past years, and all he wished only for his son to return to him safely.
As for “Iman”, an activist on social media, despite the fact that she has no relatives in Ukraine, she felt the same mixture of anxiety and helplessness as she watched the successive news about the suffering of Arab students and their attempts to survive. Iman said in her interview with Maidan: “Because I have a large number of followers on social networking pages, my posts about Arab students’ news, and my publications with numbers offering assistance and available places of refuge for Arab students made me feel that I am participating positively, even if in a small way, especially when I knew That these publications were the reason for the survival of some.”
Perhaps you are drowning in guilt for not being able to help, or just knowing that you are lucky to have survived and are safe in your own home, while others are suffering in shelters and under siege. Do not judge yourself or criticize yourself, but rather empathize with yourself as you empathize with others, and try to find a way to help positively. We all feel helpless when faced with wars and major events, and in those times helping others gives us a sense of satisfaction and control (5).
How do we heal our fragile selves?
While the world around you is wracked with tragedies, one of the most important things we can advise you to do is focus on what you can control rather than on things that are out of your control.
Remember that you cannot control the behavior of others, government policies, or the vagaries of nature, and that worrying about these things drains your energy that you can spare to improve the quality of your life and the lives of those close to you. And while you can’t control this far, you can still control how much clips and photos you watch, and how much sleep you get.
Exercise is also an important part of mental health management. Make sure to make exercise and movement an essential part of your day, even if you start with half an hour of walking or 15 minutes of yoga. Exercising helps you exercise alertness and be present in the place and time.
Stop being online all the time, defy your constant urge to flip through the news pages and follow them, turn off the network for a bit, and stay offline. Clinical psychologist Dr. Emma Hepburn recommends setting certain times of the day to watch the news or social media, then turning off and doing things that help you relax. She also recommended that you check where you’re getting your information from, and focus on facts rather than engaging in troubling speculation. Finally, you advise us to reduce viewing of graphic content or video clips (6).
Remember the past two years of how we have all lived on high alert since the beginning of the pandemic crisis. The crisis has taught us lessons, and it has taught us that every incident has its ups and downs. While waiting for the carrots, we advise you to maintain your safety and mental health as much as possible.
——————————————————————————
Sources
WAR-RELATED NEWS AND IMPACT ON MENTAL HEALTH: A REVIEW
My mental health journey: How PTSD gave me the strength to share my story
Six tips to take care of your mental health while covering the war in Ukraine from afar
Ukraine conflict: How to help yourself, your kids, and others
MANAGING ANXIETY DURING THE UKRAINE CRISIS – SMALL THINGS THAT CAN HELP IN BIG MOMENTS
Ukraine conflict: How to help yourself, your kids, and others