Is there such thing as a “home life”?

I take my work home with me every night.

I compulsively check my work email daily. Multiple times a day. That includes days off, mornings before work, and evenings when I get home.

When I meet a new work contact, and hand them my card, I usually say, “My cell phone number’s on there. Feel free to use it. I work weekends and I have my cell phone on me 24-7, so if I miss your call, I should get back with you shortly.”

I even dream about work. I can’t count the number of dreams I’ve had where I run out to anchor a show, only to find that I have wet hair and I’m not wearing any make-up, I forgot to produce the show until 10 minutes to air, and on top of it all the prompter’s not working. (Okay, that last part isn’t always necessarily a dream…)

So last week I created this:

I taped it up, just inside my front door, and (no joke!) I even placed a cardboard box on the floor under the arrow.

We work in an industry where we’re forced to not only read about, but rehash and regurgitate a number of issues that can weigh on the mind. I personally have reported on the rape of a 4-year-old girl, a drunk hit-and-run that killed a 14-year-old, a soldier returning home from Afghanistan missing a leg…the list goes on.

Within the past few weeks, a couple of my reporter friends posted on Facebook about the kind of days they were having–one reporting on the death of a young child, and the other on the murder of a pregnant woman. We’ve all been there. How do you leave that in a box when you come home?

A co-worker recently brought to my attention a Ball State University professor’s book that shows journalists suffer from Post Traumatic Stress and depression from covering traumatic events, just as first responders do:

“People may think that reporters are only out for a good story and don’t feel anything when they’re covering a tragedy,” Massé said. “The outdated newsroom view is that if you show any empathy, you aren’t a good reporter. That’s wrong because understanding what a victim is going through actually makes you a better reporter. And it makes you a better person.”

It may seem petty compared to some of the tragedy we cover, but with the high energy and big personalities in a television newsroom, conflict is never in short supply (or, let’s face it, gossip). So if you’re not stewing over a tough story, it’s hard not to replay an argument, coverage decision, or other high-energy newsroom moment when you get home.

I still remember, when I was just an intern at a central Illinois station, one of the most aggressive and go-getter reporters there said to me (and the videographer we were with), “You know, I’m starting to wonder if I want to live to work or work to live.” Two years later, she left the business.

Maybe that’s why so many people who start out in television don’t make it to “lifer” status. They want to work to live.

I would argue we can do both. Or at least, I’m hoping my hand-made sign will allow me to do so. Live to work, sure, while you’re working. Then come home, drop your worries in a box, and enjoy the simple pleasures life can offer. Your email can wait a few hours. (After all, if big news breaks, your manager will probably call your cell phone.)