Anxiety & Stress

The farming lifestyle can be a stressful one, with a range of factors contributing to stress and poor mental health among farmers. These factors can include financial pressures, long working hours, changes to government schemes and regulations and social isolation, among others.

A farmer’s place of business is usually also his or her home, so it is not easy to get away from the workload. On top of all that, farmers are constantly vulnerable to external events that they have no control over but which can impact their daily farming lives, from weather and natural disasters to international events, like the war in Ukraine, etc.

It can be understandably easy for us farmers to feel overwhelmed, stressed and anxious. So, let's talk a little bit about these threats to our mental health.

STRESS

Stress is something that many farmers face at some point and can be an important contributor to mental ill health. 

But isn't stress just a part of daily farming life? Well, a certain amount of stress is normal. Stress is a natural human response to life’s challenges or difficult situations and a certain amount is useful to get you through the day, but feeling this way on a daily or prolonged basis can damage your health over time. Increased stress levels are often a contributing factor in many of the accidents, injuries and illnesses taking place on farms. 

ANXIETY

Similar to stress, anxiety is a normal emotion that everyone experiences at some point when dealing with life’s daily challenges. This emotion dates back to our hunter-gatherer times as it engages our fight, flight or freeze response. For example, if a hunter-gather comes across a bear, it is perfectly normal to think “How will I handle this situation”

• Fight: Will choose to face situation head on. i.e., fight the bear

• Flight: Will avoid the situation i.e., run away from the bear

• Freeze: Will become overwhelmed by the situation and feel unable to cope i.e, freezing up/not doing anything.

For many, the feelings of anxiety will pass as quickly as they came, but for others they can be prolonged and develop into anxiety disorders.

For those living with anxiety or who have been diagnosed with an anxiety disorder, farming can be especially challenging due to feeling intense, frequent, and persistent worry and fear about everyday situations. These feelings of anxiety and panic interfere with daily activities, are difficult to control, are mostly out of proportion to any actual danger.

Panic Attacks involve repeated episodes of sudden feelings of intense anxiety and fear or terror that reach a peak within minutes.

These attacks have been compared to the feeling of having a heart attack and can be scary for both the person experiencing them and any loved one observing.

For some tips and techniques in dealing with these panic attacks that you can try yourself or you can guide a loved one through see the opposite page. While they might sound simple, they have been proven to be very effective.

It's important to promote a culture of openness and support around mental health in the farming community. Encouraging farmers to prioritise their mental health and well-being, to build social connections and networks are all crucial steps in addressing stress, anxiety and poor mental health outcomes among farmers.

Tips for Dealing with Stress

TALK ABOUT IT - Talk to friends, family, fellow farmers or your agricultural advisor about the source of what is causing you stress. You can also join farming groups like the IFA, INHFA or MACRA to chat to other farmers. They have useful advice, and may be able to provide support. It makes a difference to talk with people who understand what you are going through.

LOOK AFTER YOURSELF— Stress can take a physical toll, try to eat a heathy diet, take part in physical exercise and ensure you have sufficient time to sleep. Making time to take care of yourself will help you build resilience and be better able to deal with stress. 

TAKE A BREAK—Try to schedule regular breaks where you actually leave the farm for a while (anything from a few hours to a weekend away). A short time away can help you come back with a fresh perspective. 

RELAXATION -Try to find time to relax each day, even if it’s just for 15 minutes. For ideas on what other farmers are doing see pages X and X.

For example, you might like to read the paper or a book, go for a walk or watch your favourite show.

Tips for Dealing with Anxiety

If you’re feeling anxious, remember that the feeling will pass. Anxiety comes in waves and will subside.

Try these techniques to ease your symptoms: 

Ground yourself in the present:

This technique uses your 5 senses to ground you in the present moment.

1 thing you can taste,

2 things you can smell,

3 things you can hear,

4 things you can touch, and

5 things you can see

The Square Breathing or Box Breathing Technique: Breathe in deeply for a count of 4, hold for a count of 4, breathe out for a count of 4 and wait for a count of 4. Repeat.

Seek Professional Help: Longer-term, persistent feelings of anxiety may warrant counselling and/or medication. Start with your family doctor and they can signpost you to the help you need.