Whether it’s the stress of student debt, study schedules and exams or the stress of a dropping dairy payout and staffing issues, everyone can make their lives better by understanding their stressors and actively managing their wellness.
While resilience is a hackneyed term, Carver, herself a farmer, says resilient people understand life always changes, they budget well, they know how to spend time on what’s important based on their critical indicators, and they celebrate wins and success.
Eighty percent of stress is good stress, she says, which fosters challenge and motivation, but excessive stress creates negative feelings.
It is normal for stress levels to fluctuate up and down during life, but if the body is in excessive stress for two weeks it changes both physically and mentally, Carver said.
“Under prolonged excessive stress, the body secretes chemicals that cause high blood pressure, depression and anxiety, heart disease and weakened immune system, as well as an inability to concentrate and make decisions and stick to the plan.”
Carver stressed the three key points for keeping yourself well:
- Take notice – recognise where you are on the stress and burnout scale
- Understand why you are there
- Know your trigger signs.
The good news, Carver says, is resilience can be improved, with 50% of a person’s resilient outlook dictated by genetics (how upbeat or able to bounce forward rather than bounce back your parents were), 10% dictated by what happens to you and a huge 40% how you choose to deal with it on a daily basis.
Farming is stressful and those stresses are not going to go away, so farmers old and young need to learn to be resilient and sharp by having strategies to help them deal with the stresses.
Be safe and have a plan
Farmers who have a plan of how they are going to deal with stresses and survive the next two years will cope much better than those “who have put their heads in the sand”, she says.
“Even if it’s not a pretty plan, and if you can’t make your own plan then get help to do it.”
“If the thought of planning is overwhelming, break it down into how you are going to cope with the next week, and map out each day – make it into baby steps.”
Rest and take notice
There are three parts to rest, Carver says.
Workers need a break every four hours, and there is a reason the government has legislated for this.
Everyone’s body needs a break from the focus that tenses us up – go for a walk, have a cup of tea, or sit down and take a break, Carver suggests.
Rest also means eight hours of sleep a night, she says, and while there are three weeks in dairy farming when farmers will miss this at the height of spring and they will be tired, for the rest of the season they need to target 7-9 hours of sleep every night.
The third one is having a holiday – it’s about getting off-farm and doing something completely different.
“If your adrenaline is running all the time your body gets adrenal fatigue which causes a lot of the health problems – if you don’t shut down from all of the work then your body gets addicted to it.
“When you are on holiday make sure you turn your phone off and relax so the adrenaline can drain from your body.”
Taking notice is directed at people to encourage them to slow down, to be in the moment and realise what makes them happy and what they love.
‘It sounds cheesy, but stop and smell the roses – if you take the time to do that, it will actually help your wellness.”
She talked about a farmer who was ready to walk away from farming, but realised what he loved about farming was the evening change of light, when the animals were playing in the paddock – and he decided to take that 20 minutes each day to reconnect with what he loves.
“Spending that time made the difference between him stressing about the farm and remembering why he was there, what he loved about it and it meant he remembered why he was farming and why he wanted to continue.”
Be active and eat well
“We have 649 muscles in our body and if they are not used they will die.”
Carver said many farmers don’t like the gym, but are not using all their muscles anymore.
As far as eating well goes, Carver suggests everyone should, at the end of each day, review what they have eaten that day.
“Have you eaten more healthy foods like fruit, vegetables, protein, water, or have you eaten more cakes, pastries, biscuits, sugary and fattening things?”
You need to eat less of the toxic, unhealthy foods and more of the healthy, fresh and nutritious foods, she said.
“Don’t make yourself feel guilty when you go in for a treat food, because we all need treats – but you need to know what it is you are eating and think about the balance of your diet.”
Learning
One of the things scientists have found keeps us well is learning new things, surprising ourselves and finding out new and amazing things about the world, Carver says.
She assured the Young Farmer workshop attendees they were obviously doing this well and encouraged them to not underestimate how much effect connecting and networking and just laughing and being human with people has on a person’s health.
Connect and give
Excitingly, Carver says research has shown that helping somebody or volunteering and realising that they have made a difference for others creates the same endorphins as exercise.
Ironically she says that trying to do all of the five things could create more stress but she suggested everyone should have three ‘givens’ – things that they know they will always do because it makes them feel better and things that are their ‘go to’ strategies to use if they feel themselves getting unwell or under excessive stress.
After covering how to keep themselves well, Carver turned to how to make sure their friends and workmates were also well, saying sometimes people can’t see they need talk or know where to turn when they have reached the point of burnout.
Carver mentioned rural suicides, saying it affected four times as many men as women, which she thinks could be because they find it harder to connect and take notice and talk. She says it’s important to take steps to help someone you think is reaching that point.
It starts with being on their side and letting them talk, showing understanding and sympathy, not judging them, avoiding offering advice or making comparisons but not trying to minimise their pain or act like it’s not a big deal.
What to do
If you are worried someone might already be depressed…
- Encourage them to speak to their health practitioner
- Encourage them to talk to someone about it. These numbers are good:
- Rural Support Trust 0800 787 254
- Depression helpline 0800 111 757
If you are worried someone is suicidal…
- Get professional help.
- Do everything in your power to get a suicidal person the help he or she needs.
- Call a crisis line for advice and referrals. Encourage the person to see a mental health professional, help locate a treatment facility, or take them to a doctor’s appointment.
- Samaritans 0800 726 666
- Lifeline 0800 543 354
