Are you stressed at work?

Life today is stressful for many reasons (looking at you, cost of living crisis). One of the many factors in this is being stressed at work.

We’ve found a recent article focusing on stressed journalists to have some useful strategies to manage this.

Ask yourself, why are you stressed? Is it the 24-hour news cycle? The constant onslaught of information courtesy of social media? There is also the pressure in an always-online world to compare yourself to others (when usually, you’re doing just fine!).

Other factors relevant to journalism include the need to hit commission targets, constant story turnarounds and shift patterns. Sometimes, even the content for the stories themselves.

More than half of National Union of Journalists members have mental health concerns… that’s a pretty significant chunk of the industry!

So, saying all that… what are our top tips to avoid burnout?

  1. Remember, social media isn’t reality, it’s a carefully curated view into someone’s world. Just like you need a good work/life balance, you also need to focus on your own life and not those you see online.
  2. Stay well rested, whatever that means for you – make time for hobbies, get an early night, maintain a good diet. If it makes you happy, find time for it!
  3. Spend time with your loved ones (especially if the majority of your time is spent working from home, being alone in the office or staring at a screen). Go out for dinner and drinks, make sure to finish on time to attend that family celebration, go the theatre or cinema with friends; these are all great ideas for when work is getting that bit too much to handle.

Stress at work and feeling overwhelmed affects your mental health. Find advice on support from Mind or contact Samaritans.

 

 

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