S-T-R-E-S-S: One of the most popular words these days. It’s so easy to focus on the stressful things going on in life isn’t it? It sucks all your attention and robs you of all the amazing things in life. Like the quote says, you forget how blessed you are. Sad but true.

In this week’s episode of The Impact Farming Show, I speak to Louise Sanders from The Stress Experts and we chat about all things stress.

Are you looking to reduce your stress levels and become a happier version of you? If so, I highly recommend this episode. You do not need to be a farmer to benefit. Just substitute sitting in the office when we speak about sitting in the combine and this will 100% apply to your life.

Tune in ⬇️⬇️

https://www.farmmarketer.com/Resources/ResourceItem?resourceItemId=158

harvest19 #agriculture #farmlifebestlife #impactfarming Farm Marketer

Seen this and had to chuckle. Can anyone out there relate to the farming roller coaster🎢

Sounds kind of like #harvest19 doesn’t it?!?!

farming #farmlife #agriculture #cdnag‬

……….

So that snippet above is what got posted to social media. The full story is here.

I live my job and usually prefer to work rather than do much else. I am lucky that way. However, Friday was definitely a TGIF kind of day. One of THOSE days.

For those of you that know me, you know I own and run Farm Marketer, one of Canada’s leading agriculture media companies. It’s fast paced and hectic. Just the way I like it. With that said, this is the time of year where clients are planning and booking their advertising for 2020. Plus the show, The Impact Farming Show, is really buzzing snd I have a lot of one off interviews to do.

It’s all rather amazing and wonderful. I have worked hard to get here…so no complaints.

I just happen to see this say in the life of a farmer literally 1/2 hour after telling Anthony that I feel like I have some kind of mood disorder. That I am up down and all around. Then I reflected on my life, my company and farm stresses. We both laughed and then I remember “right, I am a business owner.” Stopping, acknowledging and laughing it off helped to relieve the stress. Then I seen this meme, taken from the entrepreneur version I seen and really like.

After 2019, and especially Harvest 2019, I knew more than a few farmers would relate. I also wanted them to find solace and kinship in the fact that they are not the only ones that feel this way. No, they are not goimg nuts…they are just a normal business owner and farmer going through the often dramatic highs and lows that we feel.

Why do we feel this way? Well, because what we do is risky and risky is stressful. Lovely highs and wins and frustrating and lonely lows.

If you are a business owner and/or farmer, take a deep breath and pat yourself on the back. You are just fine. You are doing a great job. You got this.

Buckle up and enjoy the ride my fellow business owners.

Your Roller Coaster Riding Friend,

Tracy Mae

ThursdayThoughts ~ Late posting today. What a day. I recorded the last interview in our mental health series this afternoon in Winnipeg. It will air next Wednesday. Stay tuned.

Farm guys & gals, let’s chat about something that might be on your mind. Something that might be very real on your farm. #mentalhealthconcerns It’s been the focus of our Impact Farming Show for the last month.

So why did I take a full month of the show and dedicate it to mental health? Because it’s soooo important and still so misunderstood. It’s also been one heck of a year, and not in the good sense either. It is times like these when mental health becomes an even bigger concern in our agriculture communities.

I know many of us don’t like chatting about this. I understand. It’s uncomfortable.

Hang with me for a moment please….

Did you know? In the National Survey of Farmer Mental Health from Sept 2015 to Jan 2016, they surveyed farmers from across Canada. The results showed:

35% of respondents meet the definition for depression classification
45% of respondents were classified as having high stress
58% of respondents meet the definition for anxiety classification

Yikes. Let’s make those numbers come alive a bit more. I am not a stats person. Let’s give them a face. Simple. They are 35/45/58 % of your farming community 😱 That makes it a touch more real doesn’t it? Kind of hits close to home…a bit to close to home.

My goodness, right now at the end of November 2019, some farmers still have hundreds of thousands to millions of dollars worth of crop sitting in the fields. With nothing they can do about it other than sit, wait, try to plan, and pray. Many others were just finally able to get the crops off. Just by a hair. Anxiety and depression…you think? These are conditions that can financially devastate a farm. After one year, let alone several bad years in a row like many farmers have experienced now.

It’s hard to understand anything unless you have gone through it right? I think mental health is the same way. You can try to understand, however, it’s just really hard unless you know someone that has anxiety, depression or any other mental health condition. I was the same way. Thankfully, I have never gone through any serious mental health issues. It wasn’t until I had a few people come in and out of my life that struggled with anxiety and depression, that I finally took the time to learn.

I pride myself on my mental stamina and grit. I couldn’t fathom that people couldn’t just push through and get it done. Think positively. Try harder. Oh my innocence. Forgive me, I didn’t know 🙈 I will gladly throw myself under the bus and admit it because I know many people think the same way. Again, it’s hard to understand what you do not know and cannot see right? Trust me guys, it’s real. Let’s think about it. If it was that easy, don’t you think someone would just choose to stop being anxious or depressed? It’s not about mental strength either. They are strong. Goodness they are strong.

I think the stigma is changing. I really believe it is. Countless individuals and groups have been sharing and educating. Do More Ag was created and launched. Kuddos to that amazing group of guys and gals. They have forever changed our industry and so many lives for the better. They have already saved so many lives.

We also have people like Shawn Brook who are sharing their story. Did you catch this week’s episode? In it, Shawn shares the gut-wrenching experience that he and his family went through when his wife died by suicide. One of the biggest lessons that he learned from this life-changing event was that he didn’t know anything about mental health.

There is so much that many of us do not understand about mental health, and if we only took the time to understand, it can change our ability to be a support person for someone in your life,” said Shawn.

As I interviewed him he shared that growing up on a farm, he was taught hard work, persistence and the get it done attitude. Although admirable and much sought after, these traits and the corresponding mentality that develops runs entirely counter-intuitive for mental health conditions. Because he did not understand mental illness, he found himself falling back on that hard-driving mental conditioning and thinking thoughts such as;

“If you are not getting done the things you need to, you are lazy.”
“If you don’t want to talk about the things that are important to you, you are closed-minded.”
“If you are not where you are supposed to be when you are supposed to be there, you are a slacker.”

Shawn shares that the things he was taught on the farm served him very well to be successful in his life; however, they got in the way of him being there for his wife. That is why he shares his story.

So why do I dedicate the time on The Impact Farming Show? Because it’s important. Because we have the platform. Because our show is dedicated to bringing our audience the people and ideas that will IMPACT your farming operation. Mental health is one of those topics that affect farming operations. So let’s talk about it!

You can catch this week’s episode here. You really do not want to miss this episode, it could save a life…
⬇️⬇️
https://www.farmmarketer.com/Resources/ResourceItem?resourceItemId=155

To read this post and others, you can head on over to our NEW show blog by following this link below👇🏻👇🏻👇🏻
https://www.farmmarketer.com/impact_farming_show/blog

mentalhealthinag #domoreag #physicalhealthmatters #mentathealthmatters

healthyfarmer #happyfarmer #cdnag #agriculture #farming #farmlife

‪#MotivationMonday I am a now person 🙋🏼‍♀️ Are you? There is no time like yesterday to have something done/achieved right? I often get wrapped up in trying to do it all now and I forget that life is a LONG game. This is so easy to do in our fast paced and hectic World that we live in. We are a now culture. Bigger, better and more. We have easy access to everything in comparison to the generations before us. Vehicles, fast food, movies/music on demand, and cellphones to call/text. We can see what anyone we know is up to by opening an app on our phone. We can jump on a plane and be around the World in no time flat. There is not much we need to wait for anymore. Even if you are disciplined or thoughtful, it’s hard not to jump onto the now train.

Such short term thinking can be dangerous though. Especially when it comes to business. Because of our obsession with now, we often put unrealistic goals, expectations, and pressures on ourselves don’t we?

In business and farming we tend to expect everything to go perfectly at all times. We forget that there will always be good & bad seasons. No matter how good of a business owner or farmer you are. There are always bumps along the way. No matter what we are doing correctly, outside variables can put a wrench in our plans. Weather, trade issues, break downs, changing technology and on and on. Can you say #harvest2019?

Remember…if you are not where you want to be, don’t forget that this moment, season or year is literally a blip on the radar of life. Don’t get stuck in now thinking. Now puts a lot of pressure on us. Let’s question the status quo and our goals, give ourselves some Grace, take a deep breath and remember that we have plenty of time. If we are alive and healthy that is all that matters, because when it’s all said and done, we get to try all over again with the next seasons and years.

Did I just say all that 🙊

p.s. For anyone that knows me, they will fall over backwards reading this. I am a dreamer and an achiever and the words above are so unlike me. But I am so feeling it.

#yougotthis #plentyoftime #lifeisalonggame