The need for journalists to adopt effective stress management techniques has been re-emphasized by a consultant psychiatrist.
Dr Adeoye Oyewole of the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, (LAUTECH), gave the indication on Monday, in Osogbo, at a workshop organized for practising journalists in Osun state.
The Workshop had as theme: ‘Effect of Poor Stress Management on the Productivity of Journalists in Osun State‘.
Adeoye who presented the lead paper noted that journalism is a tough job and practitioners must ease off stress in order to enhance their wellbeing and increase their productivity.
He explained that stress feeders such as sourcing for stories, meeting tight deadlines, editing and intense editorial pressure add to the daily grind of journalistic work.
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The psychiatrist noted that stress is a silent killer whose effects are worse than AIDS and is responsible for acute morbidity among people in their middle ages.
“Stress is an inappropriate, unbalanced and unproductive reaction to life challenges. It creates a state of disequilibrium in the mind with psychological and physical manifestations. Essentially, it is a pathological interplay between the mind of man and his environment”, Adeoye said.
According to him, medical research had established a link between stress and ailments like high blood pressure, ulcer, cardiac arrest, disturbed sleep, mental block and mental illness among others.
He urged journalists to manage their stress levels by carefully creating a balance between their minds and how they respond to external pressures.
He added that journalists could imbibe good time management skills, capitalize on their strengths, shun stimulants, practice proactivity and adopt good relaxation techniques to combat the menace of stress.
“A very fundamental capacity in every human being is the ability for personal change emanating from his mind. This capacity helps him subdue and master his body and his environment whether financial, social or emotional. He has the capacity to choose his response irrespective of how formidable the environmental challenges,” he said.
Finding time to rest
While presenting the second paper, Dr Liad Tella, ex-Managing Director of a Nigerian Newspaper also highlighted the importance of stress management.
He said journalists must find time to rest, relax and let off the steam of stress accumulated over the years of practising the daunting profession.
Many journalists who participated in the workshop appreciated the organizers as well as the speakers for meeting them at the very point of their need.
The Workshop was packaged by final-year students of Mass Communication Department, Fountain University, Osun State, Southwest Nigeria.
Emmanuel Ukoh
