THE NATIONAL UNION OF
JOURNALISTS OF UKRAINE
How to keep your psychological health stable? Is stress constructive? What are the physical manifestations of chronic stress? How to prevent its consequences? What to rely on in conditions of acute stress? and What unites and motivates media workers of Kolomyia? were the issues discussed by coaches and participants in the psychological training for media workers in the area of Kolomyia. Tetiana Bieliavtseva and Nataliya Kulyk, specialists from the invincibility center in Kolomyia, both displaced people from the Kharkiv and Donetsk Regions, acted as coaches. The event was held in the hall of the Kolomyia City Public Library, the Ivano-Frankivsk Journalists’ Solidarity Center (JSC) of the National Union of Journalists of Ukraine (NUJU) together with the Kolomyia Union‘s primary organization.
“It is very important for journalists to learn how to overcome their own exhaustion, to be able to find their resources, with the help of which energy is restored. And thanks to such training sessions, thanks to the advice of specialists, you can achieve the desired result. – noted the coordinator of the Ivano-Frankivsk JSC, Viktoriya Plakhta.
“I had particular pleasure in communicating with colleagues and sharing with them the secrets of self-support. I hope that our meeting was helpful and gave the participants certain knowledge, skills, and a good mood,” noted Tetiana Bieliavtseva, a displaced journalist from Zmiyiv, Kharkiv Region.
Training participants shared their experiences and preferences and received recommendations and techniques that will help them in stressful situations.
Tetiana Bieliavtseva, in particular, offered her colleagues some constructive advice for difficult moments:
Just in case, keep with you a list of things, people, places, and activities that inspire you, where you can take a resource written in a calm state. The idea of drawing up such a list at a critical moment may turn out to be inefficient. Let there be at least 30 points!
At a difficult moment, choose a few items from this list that you can definitely implement quickly and painlessly: go for a walk in the park, buy yourself an ice cream, dial the phone number of your best friend, hug a big tree, plant a new flower in the flower garden. Everyone will have their own secrets to doing well.
Try to talk about your problems as much as possible. Preferably – with a specialist who will hear not only himself (as happens with relatives, friends, etc.), but also you. Aware and discussed problems are usually solved better and faster. Look for a circle of support, like-minded people, etc.
Pay close attention to manifestations of discomfort or tightness in the body – they can indicate long-term, chronic, stressful situations in your life. There can be many ways out of dead ends: first, we neutralize physical manifestations, then we tackle psychological ones, or first, we work on psychological problems, searching for new supports, meanings, and security. And now you are already sleeping normally, or your usual appetite has returned.
“It is planned that such meetings for the media workers around Kolomyia will become systematic,” reported the head of the Kolomyia journalistic center/editor-in-chief of the Free Voice newspaper, Valentyna Blyzniuk. “I hope that the professional advice of psychologists will help us prevent burnout, invent new ways of self-support, and teach high-quality methods of helping ourselves and others.”
Viktoriya Plakhta also presented a ticket to a journalist and videographer of the online publication Informator. Kolomyia/displaced person from Kharkiv, Yevhen Chepusenko, who recently became an NUJU member.
Call the Ivano-Frankivsk JSC at 066 677 0726 (Viktoriya Plakhta, the Ivano-Frankivsk JSC coordinator). The Center’s address is 25 Sichovykh Striltsiv Street.
ABOUT JSC
The Journalists’ Solidarity Centers is an initiative of the NUJU implemented with the support of the International and European Federations of Journalists and UNESCO. The initiative is designated to help media representatives working in Ukraine during the war. The Centers operate in Kyiv, Lviv, Ivano-Frankivsk, Chernivtsi, Zaporizhzhia, and Dnipro and provide journalists with organizational, technical, legal, psychological, and other types of assistance.
ABOUT UNESCO
UNESCO is the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization. It contributes to peace and security by promoting international cooperation in education, sciences, culture, communication, and information. UNESCO promotes knowledge sharing and the free flow of ideas to accelerate mutual understanding. It is the coordinator of the UN Action Plan on the Safety of Journalists and the Issue of Impunity, which aims to create a free and safe environment for journalists and media workers, thus strengthening peace, democracy, and sustainable development worldwide. UNESCO is working closely with its partner organizations in Ukraine to provide support to journalists on the ground.
The designations employed and the presentation of material throughout this digest do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of UNESCO concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city, or area or its authorities or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries.
The authors are responsible for the choice and the presentation of the facts contained in this digest and for the opinions expressed therein, which are not necessarily those of UNESCO and do not commit to the organization.
Viktoriya Strilchuk
Photo by Halyna Voloshchuk
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