"I never know how the day will end": Yekaterina Andreyeva on the art of working without burnout

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Journalism is not only enormous responsibility and daily work, but also a real adventure. It is largely the element of unpredictability that helps professionals avoid burnout even after decades on screen. TV presenter and journalist Yekaterina Andreyeva spoke about this at the National Centre RUSSIA. The Master-meeting with the long-time host of the "Vremya" programme was held as part of the original project "Young Journalists School".

"I am often asked: 'Do you not burn out?' I answer: 'No, I do not burn out.' I never know how my working day will end: where I will find myself, whether I will come home on time or stay overnight at work. Everything changes instantly: you can start the day with one assignment and go on air with completely different news," Yekaterina Andreyeva said.

The TV presenter admitted that she does not use the word "burnout" in relation to herself at all. According to Yekaterina Andreyeva, tiredness is a matter of physiology, not the soul, and the soul cannot get tired if the work is truly your calling.

"When people talk about burnout, most likely they mean physical tiredness. The soul cannot get tired — it has no weight or gender, it simply fills the bodily structure. If you feel tired, you need to understand what the body lacks: perhaps certain vitamins or physical activity. That is why I always advocate doing sport: it gives you strength. I can work for days on end, go without sleep for a long time or, on the contrary, rest for a long time and not see it as a problem, because I have a high internal energy level. This level can be raised through sport, proper nutrition and positive thoughts. Negative emotions — envy, malice, hatred and anger — destroy inner positivity. Love for yourself, for the world and for your work, as well as an understanding of its importance to you, help avoid exhaustion," Yekaterina Andreyeva added.

According to the TV presenter, a conscious choice of profession is especially important. If the work is close to your heart and chosen correctly, the risk of burnout naturally decreases, Yekaterina Andreyeva emphasised once again.

"It is very important to find your calling: if you choose a profession consciously and it truly suits you, the risk of burnout decreases. Choosing your path is not easy, especially at a young age, at 17 or 18. But if you are lucky and understand in time what you want to do, then work will come more easily," the TV presenter concluded.

The Young Journalists School is a joint original project of the National Centre RUSSIA and the Movement of the First, supported by the Ministry of Education of the Russian Federation. The multi-format educational programme introduces teenagers to the country’s leading media figures, helps them practise creating texts, photo and video content, teaches them to distinguish facts from fiction and shows the profession as it really is.