5 Ways Community Publishers Can Make Well-Being Part of the Work

Journalism asks us to pay attention to what is happening around us. Betty Ming Liu says journalists should bring some of that same attention to themselves.

Community publishers spend their days paying attention: to their communities, their sources, their audiences and the stories that need to be told. That work can be especially demanding in a polarized and often volatile climate, as journalists cover issues that directly affect the communities they serve — from immigration and discrimination to economic uncertainty, displacement and other challenges disproportionately affecting marginalized communities.

And with election season approaching, the pressure can intensify. Community newsrooms are navigating heightened tensions, fast-moving developments and relentless deadlines, often while reporting on issues that affect their own lives and communities.

But how often do journalists turn that attention inward?

That question was at the center of a recent Pivot Fund workshop with Betty Ming Liu, an online life and career coach, journalism professor and retired journalist. During From Surviving to Thriving: How to Transform Your Survival Instincts Into Skills for a Life That’s a Lot More Satisfying and Fun, Liu encouraged participants to consider what it means to work in a trauma-facing profession and how journalists can make their own well-being a priority.

Here are five places to start.

1. Pay attention to how you talk to yourself

Journalists know how to ask questions, listen closely and choose their words carefully. Liu encouraged participants to use those same communication skills on themselves.

Start by noticing your internal dialogue, particularly when something goes wrong. Is it harsher than the way you would speak to a colleague, friend or someone you care about?

Instead of immediately criticizing yourself, try changing the conversation. Liu offered simple reminders such as: “I am enough” and “I have everything I need.”

The goal isn’t to ignore mistakes or difficult circumstances. It’s to recognize that the language you use with yourself can add another layer of pressure, or help you move through it.

2. Lower the stakes when you can

In journalism, some things really are high stakes. Deadlines matter. Accuracy matters. The trust of your community matters.

But not everything has to carry the same weight.

When everything feels urgent, Liu suggested asking yourself questions such as: “How important is it?” or “What’s the worst that could happen?”

Those questions can help distinguish what actually requires your immediate attention from what only feels urgent.

For community publishers balancing reporting, revenue, fundraising, operations and countless other responsibilities, lowering the stakes where possible can also make an overwhelming to-do list more manageable.

3. Define what a successful day looks like

One tool Liu introduced was backward design: start with the outcome you want and work backward from there.

Try applying that idea to your day.

Ask yourself: At the end of today, what one thing would make me feel like this was a good day?

The answer doesn’t have to be ambitious. Maybe you want to finish the lead you’ve been avoiding. Maybe you want to get outside for 10 minutes. Maybe you want uninterrupted time with your family.

Defining that outcome can help cut through the long list of things you could accomplish and focus your energy on what matters most.

As one workshop participant reflected afterward: “I love the idea to think of one thing that I can do to say the day was successful which for me will allow me to rest.”

4. Keep a grounding technique in your toolkit

When stress starts building, Liu recommends the 5-4-3-2-1 grounding technique, a simple exercise that uses the five senses to bring your attention back to the present moment:

• Notice five things you can see
• Notice four things you can feel
• Notice three things you can hear
• Notice two things you can smell
• Notice one thing you can taste

It can be done at your desk, between meetings or after a difficult reporting experience. Liu also suggested it as a simple way to open or close a meeting.

For journalists whose work can require moving quickly from one difficult story, conversation or deadline to another, even a brief moment of intentionally reconnecting with the present can create a pause before moving on.

5. Make room for play

Well-being doesn’t always have to look like another task to complete.

Liu encouraged participants to think about the things they genuinely enjoyed doing as children — being outside, dancing, reading, playing sports, making art or simply spending time with other people — and consider where those things show up in their lives today.

Then, make a little room for them.

One of Liu’s suggestions was a weekly “playdate” with yourself: time set aside for something enjoyable simply because you enjoy it. It doesn’t need to take an afternoon. Even 10 minutes counts.

For people accustomed to measuring their days by productivity, deadlines and output, making room for something without a professional objective can feel unfamiliar. That’s part of the point.

Taking care of the people behind the journalism

Community journalism is deeply human work. Publishers are often reporting on challenges they see in their own neighborhoods while simultaneously navigating the realities of running organizations, supporting teams and sustaining the journalism their communities rely on.

That makes caring for the people doing the work part of sustaining the work itself.

Liu’s advice doesn’t require completely restructuring your life. Start smaller: listen to the way you speak to yourself. Decide what really needs to be high stakes. Define what would make today feel successful.