Stress is Not a Badge of Honor

I was reading an article from University of Minnesota Extension on farm safety today, and this phrase jumped out and hit me over the head. “There is no award for who suffers the most.”

Ouch.

How often do we brag about how long our workday is, or how little sleep we’ve gotten, or how crazy our schedule is?  It’s as if these stressful, unhealthy behaviors somehow prove we’re really doing our best, or are the most dedicated person ever—they are a badge of honor. But in fact, this kind of stressful activity will, over time, put you at risk and may put others on your farm at risk too.

Here is what the University of Minnesota Extension site says—I can’t say it any better:

There is no award for who suffers the most. By not taking care of yourself, you can put yourself and others in danger. When you are barely sleeping, barely eating, and putting in 18-hour days, your health is jeopardized, both physically and mentally. When you are under too much stress you may not notice that you’re making mistakes or missing things.

Taking a break and finding ways to relieve stress are signs that you are minding your own health and well-being. When you take care of yourself, you signal that you value the safety of everyone on your farm.  (https://extension.umn.edu/farm-safety/being-stressed-can-compromise-farm-safety)

Rather than bragging about how much we can “suck it up and get on with it” imagine what it would be like to brag about how clear-headed we are and how we make great decisions because we’ve got lots of energy and are mentally sharp all the time.

A farmer can keep their farm as safe as possible not just by following all the safety rules and regulations, but also by managing their own stress levels so fatigue and lack of focus don’t result in accidents.

Managing stress is a responsibility in order to manage farm safety. So take care, be SAFER (get Sleep, be Aware, Focus on positives, Eat and drink healthy things, Reach out when you need to talk), and thrive!