As I was trying to determine a topic for this week’s column, I began thinking as I drove through several different counties that — with all the farm work that seems to be taking place all at once — maybe stress would be a good topic to revisit.
Seasonal stress
The seasonal stress of trying to get the planting finished, decided if replanting is needed, making hay, side dressing the corn, etc. is added onto the already existing stress of keeping up with the day-to-day chores, management responsibilities and economic challenges that today’s farm faces.
Even though farming is a stressful career choice, most farmers would tell you they wouldn’t trade it for any other job.
As a result, farmers must find a way to recognize and manage the stress that comes with operating a farm business. Too much stress can make a person irritable, more accident-prone, and negatively affect their physical health.
Health problems
Prolonged stress has been associated with heart attacks, high blood pressure, cancer, allergies, ulcers, migraine headaches and kidney disease. This is why it is important to identify stressors in your life, recognize the symptoms of stress and then manage the stress.
By doing these things, you will improve your mood, improve your health, and make the work place safer.
What’s wrong?
Common stressors in the life of most farm families include: uncontrollable variables related to weather, government programs and regulations, and commodity prices.
Population increase in rural areas and on rural roadways, large debt loads, high input costs, production uncertainty, machinery breakdowns, family and business communication difficulties, farm transition questions and uncertainty, long hours and long to-do lists are some other causes of stress.
I’m sure most of these sound very familiar to you, and most have learned to accept and deal with stressors of farm life in their own way. However, the problem arises when there are too many stressors at one time and it suddenly becomes overwhelming.
Stress increase
As the stress levels increase, farm accidents occur more often and decision making tends to become irrational. It is for these reasons that recognizing the warning signs of stress overload is so important.
Stress can surface in the form of physical, emotional/mental or behavior/relationship changes depending on the person and the situation. People react to stress in different ways and have different thresholds of stress.
To determine if your level of stress has reached a place that you need to manage it better, check out the list of symptoms in the adjacent box.
Control it
After determining what symptoms exist in your life, you must find a way to manage the stress in a better way. If symptoms of stress are left unchecked and continue to build, your body’s internal reaction to stress can have serious implications to your health.
Successful stress management includes: taking care of both mental and physical health, knowing the warning signs of stress and controlling your reaction to everyday stressors. Easier said than done, right?
Stress management
The best approach to stress management is to take small steps each day and set realistic goals for yourself as well as the farm business.
A few examples of ways to manage stress include:
• Eat a well-balanced diet. Make time to eat breakfast in the morning and pack a cooler to take with you if you are working away from the farm. Carrots, Celery, apples, cheese sticks, etc. all are easy to pack in a cooler and are more nutritious than chips, candy bars and other fast food.
• Take a break! When it’s the busy season, maybe it’s only 15 minutes, but taking those few minutes will give you a chance to recharge and step away from the job. It is also a good time to eat one of your nutritious snacks. During less busy times, make a point to spend some time each week that is just for you.
• Find time to talk with your family or friends. Sharing your feelings is a great release and also helps to build supportive relationships.
• Physical activity is a good way to help keep you healthy and can be a substitute for negative behaviors. Thirty minutes of exercise releases endorphins, which are natural antidotes to anxiety, stress and depression.
• Learn to enjoy the moment, instead of reliving negative past experiences. Decide to spend your time enjoying present positive experiences.
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