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I am a 35-year-old journalist and in my nearly 10-year-old career, I have reported on many disturbing and traumatic events. I have come across many individuals whose life stories have left me devastated. This has happened to me even while covering stories on animal cruelty. I think those incidents have deeply affected me emotionally and mentally. I find it difficult to do my job as a reporter these days. I empathize too much with the people whose stories I am covering. I feel like their traumas are my own and I don’t know how to separate my work from my personal life. Please help! 

—A worried journo

Answered by Krishangi, Psychologist, Happy Minds

As counselors to people with many kinds of troubles, we come across many stories that keep us up all night. But a teacher once told me: “Their problems are theirs, and yours are yours”. I understand your job requires you to connect with other people and listen to their stories. It is only normal to be affected by their tribulations. We humans empathize with the hardship and trauma of fellow humans. But if you take it too far, it will encroach on your personal life.

You must remember that their stories are not yours. You are your own individual self and you probably have your own set of problems to deal with.

You have to consciously separate yourself from the problems of other people when you are out reporting their stories. One thing you can do is reflect on what you know about the individuals you are talking to and how you can help them by telling their stories. Zoom out from whatever bad situations they might be going through and portray yourself as someone who can help them in a realistic way. 

Remind yourself constantly that your professional and personal lives are two different things. Mixing them up is the last thing you want to do. Learn to leave your work at office. 

To deal with the negative emotions you pick up from your work, you have to find an activity that helps you take them out of your system. If you are not yourself and you start getting affected by other people's sufferings and life stories, you will get burned out and worse, your career will take a hit. 

No, doing these things does not mean you are being selfish, or you do not care about other people. It simply means that you are protecting yourself as an individual.

So if you have interests like working out, or yoga, gardening, or anything you enjoy, you need to make time for them. Focus on growing as an individual.

US Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia Affairs, Donald Lu, arrived in Kathmandu on a two-day visit to Nepal on Thursday.

US Embassy Deputy Head Manuel P. Micaller welcomed Lu at the Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu who came to Nepal with a three-member team this afternoon.

During this stay in Nepal, he is scheduled to pay a courtesy call on Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba.

He will hand over the US Secretary of State’s Award for Corporate Excellence (ACE) to Purnaa, a US manufacturing company in Nepal that promotes ethical manufacturing by empowering traditionally marginalized people and survivors of exploitation.

Assistant Secretary Lu will also meet with business, civil society, and government leaders.

The US Embassy, issuing a statement on Thursday, said that Lu is arriving in Nepal for a two-day trip as part of a regularly scheduled visit.

His visit to Nepal, at a time when the parties are divided over the issue of implementing the State Partnership Program (SPP), has been taken meaningfully.

Earlier, Lu, who visited Nepal on November 17, 2021, had held separate meetings with Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba, CPN-UML Chairman KP Sharma Oli, CPN (Maoist Centre) Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal, and Foreign Minister Narayan Khadka among other leaders.

Nepal recorded 710 new Covid-19 cases and two deaths on Thursday.

According to the Ministry of Health and Population, 2, 541 swab samples were tested in the RT-PCR method, of which 524 returned positive. Likewise, 2,484 people underwent antigen tests, of which 186 tested positive.

The Ministry said that 215 infected people recovered from the disease in the last 24 hours.

As of today, there are 4, 236 active cases in the country.

The Nepal Stock Exchange (NEPSE) gained 15. 49 points to close at 2,127.47 points on Thursday.

Similarly, the sensitive index plunged by 2. 70 points to close at 405. 62 points.

A total of 11,955,076 unit shares of 221 companies were traded for Rs 4. 97 billion.

In today’s market, all sub-indices saw green except for Non Life Insurance, Manu. & Pro and Others.

Meanwhile, Bindhyabasini Hyrdopower Company Limited was the top gainer today, with its price surging by 10 percent. Radhi Bidyut Company Ltd was the top loser as its price fell by 3.91 percent.

At the end of the day, total market capitalisation stood at Rs 3. 03 trillion.

The US Embassy in Nepal said that Assistant Secretary for South and Central Asian Affairs, Donald Lu, is arriving in Nepal for a two-day trip as part of a regularly scheduled visit.

During his stay in Kathmandu, he will hand over the US Secretary of State’s Award for Corporate Excellence (ACE) to Purnaa, a US manufacturing company in Nepal that promotes ethical manufacturing by empowering traditionally marginalized people and survivors of exploitation, read a statement issued on Wednesday.

Assistant Secretary Lu will also meet with business, civil society, and government leaders.

Locals have announced that they would not let government authorities dumb garbage of Kathmandu Valley in Sisdole and Banchare Danda.

Organizing a press conference in Kathmandu on Thursday, locals said that they would not allow the authorities to dump garbage in Banchare Danda from August 17.

Shreeram Dhungana, Coordinator of the Banchare Danda Struggle Committee, said that they would not let the garbage of Kathmandu Valley dumb in Banchare Danda until their demands are met.

They accused the government and the Kathmandu Metropolitan City of not taking any step to implement the agreement signed on June 10.

The Struggle Committee concluded that the government has been betraying the locals of Sisdole and Banchare Danda over and over again.

Hundreds of angry protesters loyal to the powerful cleric Muqtada al-Sadr broke into Baghdad's heavily protected Green Zone on Wednesday, denouncing the nomination of a new prime minister, CNN reported.

Mohammed Shiya al-Sudani was formally nominated to lead the country on Monday by the Coordination Framework, the largest Shiite alliance in the Iraqi parliament. 

His nomination followed the mass resignation of al-Sadr's parliamentary bloc, a group of over 70 lawmakers who withdrew from the governing body last month in an apparent show of force after months of political stalemate.

since parliamentary elections in October; Sadr's own attempts to form a government have previously foundered amid opposition from rival blocs. 

"If the Sadrist bloc remaining [in parliament] is an obstacle to government formation, then all lawmakers of the bloc are honorably ready to resign from parliament," Sadr said in a televised speech in June.

The cleric, who positions himself as against both Iran and the United States, is immensely popular. His bloc's success in the October vote threatened to sideline Iran-aligned Shiite blocs that have long dominated the oil-rich country's politics, according to CNN.

On Wednesday, al-Sadr told protesters at the Parliament building that their "message" had been received and that they should return home.

"A revolution of reform and rejection of injustice and corruption. Your message has been received. You have terrified the corrupt. Pray, and return home safely," he tweeted.

The outgoing government of Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi also issued a statement calling on the Sadrist protesters to "to immediately withdraw from the Green Zone," preserve public and private properties and to abide by the instructions of the security forces. 

"The security forces will be committed to protecting state institutions and international missions, and preventing any disturbance of security and order," al-Kadhimi added, CNN reported.

Manchester United have completed the signing of Argentina defender Lisandro Martinez from Ajax in a deal worth up to 67m euros (£57m), BBC reported.

United manager Erik ten Hag was keen to be reunited with the 24-year-old, who he signed for Ajax in 2019.

He joins the club on a five-year contract which keeps him at Old Trafford until 2027, with the option of a further year.

"It's an honour to join this great football club," Martinez said.

"I've worked so hard to get to this moment and, now that I'm here, I'm going to push myself even further."

Martinez made 120 appearances for Ajax after moving from Argentinian side Defensa y Justicia for £6.3m in 2019, and also played for Newell's Old Boys.

He has won seven caps for Argentina since making his senior debut in March 2019, and played once in the country's successful Copa America campaign in 2021.

"I've been lucky enough to be part of successful teams in my career and that's what I want to continue at Manchester United," he said.

"There will be a lot of work to get to that moment, but I firmly believe that, under this manager and coaches, and together with my new team-mates, we can do it."

Martinez played under Ten Hag at Ajax and won the Eredivisie title with the club in 2021 and 2022, as well as the Dutch Cup in 2021.

He was also Ajax's player of the year for the 2021-22 season, according to BBC.

"He's a warrior and I think the fans will admire him. He has an attitude, fighting spirit," Ten Hag said.

"He brings aggressiveness in the game, in a good way. I think we need that.

"But he's also skilful, he can deal with the ball and he's left-footed."

United's football director John Murtough added: "We are delighted that he has chosen to join Manchester United and we are looking forward to seeing him develop further and help the team achieve the success we are aiming for."

The centre-back is United's third signing of the summer following the arrivals of Christian Eriksen on a free transfer and Dutch full-back Tyrell Malacia, BBC reported.

Efforts continue to lure Frenkie de Jong to Old Trafford from Barcelona.