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A Discussion on Meteorologists' Emotional “So What if I’m Not OK?” A Discussion on Meteorologists’ Emotional Wellbeing and Healthy Coping Mechanisms in the Face of Mental Health Challenges Matthew J. Bolton1 Rebecca A. DePodwin2* 1College of Arts and Sciences, Saint Leo University, Saint Leo, FL 2AccuWeather, State College, PA *Corresponding author Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Rebecca DePodwin, Accuweather, State College, PA 16803 Email address: [email protected] 1 Abstract Meteorologists across the weather enterprise are faced with the daunting task of predicting future states of the atmosphere and communicating vital meteorological information to the public. This is an emotionally draining element of the job, at the forefront of many meteorologists’ minds and often a source of mental duress which may lead to such negative health outcomes as fatigue, burnout, depression, anxiety, and imposter syndrome (which involves feelings of self-doubt and failure, and the perception that one is being negatively evaluated and judged). It has been our observation that the expectations and demands of the meteorological field contribute to and exacerbate these feelings, often contributing to one’s feeling as though he or she is drowning in shallow water. It is, therefore, our goal to discuss here what we have observed to be some of the main triggers for these outcomes–especially impostor syndrome–among meteorological professionals. Through an analysis of publicly-available tweets, in sharing an introspective examination of our own mental health experiences in meteorology, and in discussing anecdotal evidence from conversations had with other meteorological professionals, we aim to discuss the occurrence of anxiety, depression, and impostor syndrome across the weather enterprise. In closing, we will discuss empirically-driven methods and some of our personal psychological defense strategies, by which meteorologists may better cope with and counteract negative mental health outcomes. 2 “So What if I’m Not OK?” A Discussion on Meteorologists’ Emotional Wellbeing and Healthy Coping Mechanisms for Weather Professionals in the Face of Mental Health Challenges Anything that’s human is mentionable, and anything that is mentionable can be more manageable. When we can talk about our feelings, they become less overwhelming, less upsetting, and less scary. The people we trust with that important talk can help us know that we are not alone. – Fred Rogers The late child educator Fred Rogers often spoke of being an emotional archaeologist (e.g., 2003, p. 43, 135, 147, 166), someone curious about the workings of his and others’ feelings. The above quote summarizes one of Rogers’ core beliefs, which we ourselves have embraced, that all feelings, thoughts, and emotions are normal and should be expressed and addressed–the negative ones, too, as well as the positive. Today, society is guarded. Many people equate emotional expression with weakness (e.g., Joseph et al. 1994; Mercer 2010). Many favor cool logic over warm emotion (Baron-Cohen 2009). Others, though, are more open, driven by a desire for the freeing liberation and sense of wellbeing awarded by more pronounced emotionality. Within this, amidst rising suicide rates (U.S. Centers for Disease Control 2017) and other concerns and contributing factors, is a recognition that mental health topics are important, and a corresponding slow opening up of society. Zooming in further–as our culture begins more prominently acknowledging mental health through various means, such as music1–there is increasing recognition that we are all, each of us, like everyone else, and that it is okay to not be okay. Framed within this context, Fred Rogers’ words echo across time and speak strongly to the topic we address here: The de-stigmatization of mental health and increasing realization in our field that discussing emotional well-being is conducive to our profession beginning to intrinsically value itself. 1 For example, the appropriately-but-coincidentally-named alternative band Weathers gives voice to a range of psychological themes including mental health stigma, borderline personality disorder and schizophrenia, social anxiety, self-acceptance, and coping with one’s personal challenges and inner demons. 3 We2 are leaders of recent efforts to normalize mental health as an important topic within the weather enterprise. Merging our learned expertise and lived experiences, we aim here to shed further light on anxiety, depression, and especially the impostor syndrome phenomenon in meteorological contexts, and to discuss ways in which meteorologists may foster effective and healthy mental health coping mechanisms in the face of their increasingly demanding profession. 1.) Anxiety, Depression, and Impostor Syndrome in the Meteorological Workplace a. Causes Atmospheric science is in many ways a psychologically unforgiving field. Even before entering the professional workforce, students typically go through at least four years of math and physics and contend with challenging meteorological coursework as well as competition for learning opportunities (e.g., NWS Pathways and other positions, private sector internships, and even student weathercasting studio positions). The traditional interpersonal competitiveness of graduate school has been magnified by social media, with jealousy easily setting in due to social comparison processes and self-presentation modification common (Shukla 2019). And graduate students see matters further complicated: They are in a tricky phase, having not yet actually entered the professional world (Weir 2013), often taking on roles in capacities for which they may not be fully prepared. Compounding these problems at all academic levels, adequate professional support is sometimes unavailable, or not easily accessible. Meanwhile, students and professionals alike are barraged by peers’ social media superficiality and apparently constant declarations of achievement, with little to no focus on realistic portrayals of their lives. 2 A Master’s candidate in psychology long involved with professional meteorology, Matt is interested in the innate psychology of meteorologists (Bolton et al. 2018; Ault and Bolton 2019) and has other work intent on raising awareness of coping strategies for negative mental health outcomes (Bolton 2018), while Rebecca, a degreed meteorologist, is a mental health advocate within the meteorological community itself, intent on discussing her own battles with depression (DePodwin 2018a, 2018b, 2019) and bringing attention to various mental health topics (DePodwin and Smith, 2018a, 2018b). 4 Further, meteorologists make daily predictions which can have life-or-death implications, and often watch dramatic severe weather events unfold in their own backyards knowing dangerous weather is negatively impacting family and friends. Shift work and rotating or inconsistent schedules can lead to a detrimental lack of sleep. Such factors, in turn, exacerbate underlying mental and physical health issues that can then feed off one another (Basar 2008). Broadcast meteorologists are now more accessible than ever with the rise of social media, which plays a critical role in weather messaging and has allowed many meteorologists to establish a reputation and personal platform online. However, social media can be a double-edged sword, providing an easy outlet for negative feedback and harsh criticism on everything from a meteorologist’s forecast to his or her appearance, especially since one cannot “turn off” from it or its influence. Constant exposure to these elements can and does take its toll–it’s no surprise Matt’s research has found broadcast meteorology to be the most burnt-out and anxious of the meteorological employment sectors (Ault and Bolton 2019). Forecasters want to save lives, of course, but they also want to be (the most) accurate, and some use meteorology as a vehicle to personal recognition and fame. Researchers want to increase knowledge; but they also are not wholly interested in the co-production of knowledge; many want recognition for themselves and to see their work alone lauded as the driver of policy and theory. Competition begets forecaster accuracy battles and researcher one-upmanship and politics. In turn, it decreases self-esteem and increases feelings of inadequacy. These and an inability to internalize success (complicated by public critiques of meteorologists) are core symptoms of the impostor syndrome phenomenon (Clance 1985), and they typically lead to psychological distress–often, feelings of anxiety and depression–and the individual concurrently downplaying his or her achievements, both internally and externally. 5 b. Meteorological Experiences of Impostor Syndrome and Co-occurring Conditions Taking a semi-empirical approach to this article, we sampled a small number of publicly available tweets (shown next, Table 1) themed around impostor syndrome, to highlight this topic within the meteorological field. Impostor syndrome is not a clinical diagnosis per se, but rather a widespread psychological phenomenon associated with feelings of self-doubt, low self-esteem, and the feeling that one will eventually be found a fraud in one’s work or achievements (Clance 1985; Gravois 2007). Table 1 here. The six tweets, in which meteorologists directly discuss aspects of mental health, were selected from about two dozen found via Twitter search. They describe a low self-esteem, perceived lack of knowledge, and associated downward self-comparison (a process by which people
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