Every day for two years we have been waking up and checking the news for the latest on the war in Ukraine.
(Almost) every day for two years, Martin Belam has been waking up, opening his laptop, and providing us this news from his flat in Walthamstow.
“It’s a weird, strange tightrope to be publishing some of the most contentious news stories that are going on for a popular news website.”
Martin Belam has been working at The Guardian for close to ten years, starting out as head of social media, before gradually working his way into the newsroom.
Probably best known for his Thursday Quiz, he also writes about Doctor Who, and live blogs Eurovision, politics, and of course, war.
“[My job] is really difficult, it’s really pressured.
“Occasionally you catch yourself looking at some photos and trying to work out whether this is too close-up on a dead body, and you think “wow this is a really weird thing to be doing for a living.””
Mental health is a long-discussed topic in journalism, which is even more poignant now with widespread use of social media and the internet.
“I do think there is something about the way that 24 hour news channels and the rise of the internet have worsened that and made it more difficult over the last 20 years.”
“It is a very demanding profession, and the people that succeed in it often end up giving up a lot in their personal lives and don’t have a lot of outside interests.”
Looking after your mental health is especially important when covering heavy and distressing issues, such as war, which can take a toll when you’re constantly exposed to it.
“It has affected me constantly doing wars over the last couple of years. I’ve been exposed to a lot of imagery that we won’t have published because it’s too graphic.”
He pauses for a moment, sighing deeply, then detailed how a picture of a wounded dog was the thing to tip him over the edge on a particularly rough day of work.
“The people in the situation at least know there’s a war going on. The dog doesn’t know.”
How does one navigate a situation like this? When you need to take a break, but the news won’t stop for anything?
When a breaking news story can come and go in the time it takes for you to go to the bathroom?
Belam takes his time to answer and was clearly struggling to muster a conclusive response.
“Say you’re covering [Ukraine war] 4/5 days a week, on the 2 days you’re not covering it I want to really try and avoid all news, which is difficult because I’m a journalist news-junkie type person, but also you don’t want to go back to work on Monday morning, you’ve got to be aware of what’s happened over the weekend. So very much trying to create a space between work and life.”
Halfway through the workday, you may see Martin Belam on a walk through London, live blogging from a café, or in the pub with a beer to close out his shift.
As he’s listing them off, he laughs while realising they don’t sound much like healthy coping mechanisms, but they seem to be working for now and he “loves” his job.
“It is a really depressing thing to be doing every day.” He admits.
“Sometimes I would wake up and look at my phone to see what’s been happening overnight and you’ll see your shift is about to be lots of people being pulled out from rubble and lots of really horrifying photos. Your heart sinks, this is going to be a really difficult and not enjoyable day to work.”
Underneath the weight of the job, it’s clear he still has uninhibited passion for his job.
Although it can be “difficult” and “stressful”, Martin wants to keep live blogging for some time to come.
“It really fits my set of skills, it sounds weird, but I enjoy doing it.”
Writing these blogs allows him to keep the world informed on the most serious and pervasive issues, and from time to time, he’s able to inject his dry humour into the doom and gloom.
Belam enjoys and respects the importance of his job and reveals that it’s the readers who keep him coming back.
“When you get the people emailing you about how much they appreciate the work, I find that very rewarding.”
“I love being on a live blog.”
“Putting on my music is like finding shelter in the storm.” – exploring the relationship between music & neurodivergence.
Dan Meakin
Dan Meakin is 20, and he has both autism and ADHD.
Music is a very important part of his life, which he uses to identify and understand his emotions, and find consistency in an ever-changing world.
“Being neurodivergent in a neurotypical world is hard.
“The world is loud, and music blocks that out for me.”
Music and music therapy are widely used to help neurodivergent people with self-expression, and to support them during shutdowns.
Great Ormond Street Hospital found that 100% of respondents to their survey thought music therapy to be extremely helpful in reducing anxiety.
Studies have also shown that music increases dopamine levels; people with ADHD tend to have lower levels of dopamine.
Dan listens to music every day, for as often as he can, and describes it as being a ‘shelter’ in moments of heightened anxiety.
They said: “In the midst of overload, my entire mind becomes a storm, and my body is full of lightning.
“Putting on my music is like finding shelter in the storm.”
Having ADHD and autism, Dan particularly struggles in unpredictable environments, such as shopping centres, and he also has difficulties in performing daily tasks.
“Even when I’m washing the dishes, or tidying my room, music is a must.”
He experiences times of extreme meltdowns, which makes him feel like his nervous system is firing.
To combat this, they have created their own ‘toolbox’ of music for every situation, to help navigate their way through.
Dan listens to a variety of music genres, but generally finds himself gravitating towards alt-pop and rock, R&B, and in his words: “just about anything with cool sounds and a good rhythm.”
His current favourite artists are Hans Zimmer, Hozier, and Lana Del Rey.
Dan also has synaesthesia, which is when the brain causes you to experience more than one sense simultaneously, such as being able to see what you are listening to.
He says that when he listens to music, he has powerful visuals that correspond to the sound.
“At times, music feels like floating on clouds, or flying through space.
“There’s a world inside each song, and I love putting my headphones on and getting lost in them.”
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