There are people in Haiti immersed in experiences beyond our wildest imaginings at this very moment.

We just happen to be focused on Haiti at this pinprick of time, but people are suffering terribly at every moment of every day somewhere in this world. There are people experiencing physical pain, emotional upheaval, inexpressible losses – right now. Right now. Right now.

Kathy Dozier commented on my previous post “Earthquake in Haiti Aftershocks Felt…Here”  :

“I’ve always wondered how you (reporters) can handle so much sadness and not be affected by it.”

Well, Kathy, everybody handles it differently.  Some are deeply affected, some seem to accept that life is random and chaotic.  Some make documentaries, volunteer where they think they can make a difference, become crusaders.  Others make jokes.  Some reporters take in the unfolding events with a certain “been there, done that, got the Emmy nomination” equanimity, knowing that there will always be a war, a tornado, an earthquake, a killer, a plague, something that breaks the human heart, and they’ll cover it.

Health care professionals, social workers, military people, those who work in law enforcement, criminal justice, and others for whom disaster is all in a day’s work, are exposed to the same traumatic situations, and just like reporters, they have a wide variety of reactions.  Some of them may be life-threatening.

If you are exposed to suffering, or know someone who is, you may find the book Trauma Stewardship  helpful.  If you’re in the news business, there are more resources than ever before for helping you deal with the consequences of being exposed to the unthinkable.  There’s the Dart Center for Journalism & Trauma , with online help for reporters, for people experiencing trauma, for doctors and other health professionals whose patients are dealing with trauma (including reporters). 

There are individual specialists, like Dorie Griggs, who speaks on journalists and trauma at conferences, at workshops, and in seminars. 

I didn’t know how to take care of myself when my work brought me face to face with trauma nearly every day.  It’s such a cliche, but I’m better at taking care of others blah blah bleeping blah.

One of the promises I made to myself for this year was to look for opportunities to take care of myself, to take care of myself as well as I would take care of someone I love.  One way I’m taking care of myself is to release myself from absorbing the great suffering that is happening every moment of every day, to think the happiest thoughts I can think in every moment.

It’s completely out of my routine to ask, “What can I do in this moment to take better care of myself?”  So that’s exactly what I’m doing.

I’m having flashbacks to my old TV news anchor days.

If I were still working in the newsroom, the earthquake in Haiti would have been the center of my world for as long as it was a big story.  I’m glad I’m no longer required to immerse myself in tragedy. These days,  I get the information I need, take what appropriate action I can, and then I put my focus elsewhere. 

When the earthquake hit, we donated to Wyclef Jean ’s nonprofit Yele Haiti  because we have given in the past. We were introduced to Yele by Cameron Sinclair  (founder of Architecture for Humanity , TED Prize  winner) who is involved personally with Wyclef’s work.

Also, the TED Blog recommends Partners In Health  as a trusted nonprofit partner in Haiti. 

I notice that taking positive, conscious action, then shifting of focus to other things, has kept me from feeling the deep sadness I used to experience when I was a reporter whose life revolved around the details of devastation. Not that I’m not feeling sadness and sympathy, but I’m able to experience my own life without being overwhelmed by grief.

Still, there’s nothing like a disaster of epic proportion to put one’s own circumstances in perspective.

It reminds me that any moment could bring a literal or figurative earthquake.  I am mindful of the suffering of others. And most of all,  I am mindful of the magnitude of my gratitude in this moment.