Ask the editors: How do you take care of your mental health while working in journalism?

For the mental health special issue, three Daily Lobo editors took a moment to reflect on how we take care of our mental health while working in journalism – a fast-paced and often heavy field.

Supportive friends and coworkers

My role as the copy chief requires me to reread our articles multiple times in order to catch any grammatical and formatting errors. Engaging with the news so thoroughly can be really draining, especially if the subject matter is intense. To cope with any lasting effects that these events have on me, I turn to my coworkers and friends as a way to establish support amongst editors and reporters. 

Once a week during Print Night, we have dinner with everyone, sing along to music and laugh for hours. I love it. The friends that I have made while bent over computers and newspapers have grounded me better than any other method of self-care. 

Kelsa Mendoza is the copy editor at the Daily Lobo. She can be reached at copychief@dailylobo.com or on Twitter at @kelsar4in.

Contribution to something big

As multimedia editor, I am responsible for publishing online and social media content weekly. I also pitch stories and film and edit videos. Being new to journalism, I am afraid of breaking any rules in the field that I am not aware of. When I started working at the Daily Lobo, I would ask the other editors about every little thing I was uncertain about, just to make sure I wasn’t doing anything wrong. Looking back, I am glad I pestered everyone, because I got to know the awesome editorial staff and they made me feel welcome and more confident. 

Now, I have started publishing my own content, which seemed impossible before. My twin sister joined as a photographer, which has been a lot of fun. The fear of breaking rules is still there, but beyond those feelings, working in journalism has helped me mentally because I am contributing to something bigger than myself. I have the opportunity to be a part of an amazing team with real positive vibes.  

Paloma Chapa is the multimedia editor for the Daily Lobo. She can be reached at multimedia@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @paloma_chapa88

A warm community

Journalism requires its practitioners to be perpetually plugged in to what’s going on in the world. As news editor, I spend a lot of time combing through headlines and media advisories about violence and corruption to find pitches for reporters. Though reading about tragedy is not at all the same as experiencing it, such immersion does take a toll on my mental health. I think about current events all the time; I dream about the news. This makes it especially important to take care of my mind and check up on my fellow reporters and editors. 

Opening up the conversation at the Lobo to topics beyond whatever we are working on is important to me. I love our “highs and lows” tradition at meetings where we share the best and worst parts of our weeks. Having a warm, friendly community makes all the difference in the world. We all know we’re in this together.

Lily Alexander is the news editor for the Daily Lobo. She can be reached at news@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @llilyalexander

Mental health is an ongoing struggle in the journalism field. Working in journalism means regularly engaging with difficult topics, which takes its toll. By talking about mental health and how we address it, we can raise awareness and begin addressing the problem. 

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