Expert Counsels Journalists On Effective Stress Management
To avoid sudden death, journalists have been advise to embark on emotional intelligence assessment, general health check-up, temperament assessment and blood Pressure measurement.
Counseling journalists on how they can prevent untimely death among them, a Consultant Psychiatrist with Ladoke Akintola University Teaching, Ogbomosho, Dr Adeoye Oyewole raised concerns that journalists are subjected to environments and conditions capable of wearing them out mentally.
Oyewole spoke at Fountain University Osogbo, Osun State on Monday during a-day workshop organised for journalists by the final year students (Pace Setters) of the Department of Mass Communication tagged, ‘Effect of poor stress management among Nigeria journalists on their mental health, productivity,’
According to him, journalists are mentally stressed because, “Nigerian journalists carry the country on their shoulders at a mental cost, through tedious information gathering, cultural and bureaucratic bottle-necks that can be humiliating.
Others include pressure of deadlines, fear of lay-of, sanctions and poor score-cards, hostile, rude, aggressive and threatening audience, exposure to gory and horrifying events among others.
Oyewole noted that mental stress not attended to will result to physical and psychological manifestations which include, heart diseases including cardiac arrest, high blood pressure, stroke, depressed immunity, diabetes, ulcers, poor concentration, poor memory, undue irritability, disturbed sleep and sudden death.
In his lecture, a veteran, Dr Liad Tella who was represented by the Registrar, Federal College of Education, Iwo, Mugisu Aderibigbe Yusuff, urged journalists to continue to see themselves as illuminating light of the world in spite of the stress, undue exploitation and dehumanisation.
