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Getting your Trinity Audio player ready…
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The Georgia Ag Labor Relations Forum will be held at the UGA Conference Center in Tifton on September 16-17. This year’s theme is “Dependable Insights in Uncertain Times,” which is something we could all definitely use!
The Forum will have speakers from industry, from the government, from agricultural advocacy, and from research. It will be a rich and informative time.
Georgia Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association has generously given me a table for the event, so if you get a chance, stop by. I’ll have a number of new materials and handouts (plus the ever-present chocolates and squishy “stress bones”).
On Monday I’ll also be speaking about taking care of your people and taking care of yourself. One of the best ways to take care of your people—be they employees, colleagues, or family—is to be a good example of what “taking care of yourself” looks like. This is particularly true when it comes to stress.
For those of you who won’t be there, let me cut to the chase and give you my four major take-home messages for the talk.
- Stress is the enemy of clear thinking and good decisions. Stress makes it harder to remember things, makes your risk assessment skills lower, slows your problem-solving skills—basically messes with all the processes you need to be a smart farmer;
- Sometimes you can fix a stressor, but always you can manage your stress response to keep stress from hurting you. You can’t control the weather, or input costs, or whatever is stressing you out, but you can do simple things to keep your body and mind healthy.
- Sometimes your brain is not your friend. When you are under stress your brain distorts your thinking. Stop and do a reality check if you feel yourself slipping into “it will be awful forever” thinking when you’re under stress; and
- The best defense is a good offense. To protect against the impact of stress, the best thing is to do healthy things preventively. Remember my post on SAFER ?
Get good quality Sleep
Be Aware of when you’re getting stressed
Focus on being grateful for the good things in your life
Eat healthy food and drink lots of water
Reach out to others for support
I hope I see lots of you at the Forum so we can talk about thriving on the farm and in life!