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A little while back I had the good fortune to be part of the Georgia Farm Stress Summit in Statesboro. One of the speakers was Georgia Commissioner of Agriculture Tyler Harper, and he said something that I’ve been thinking about a lot.
Commissioner Harper talked about a saying that farmers live by— “if you break it, you fix it.” He spoke about how that phrase captures the independence and self-reliance that are so valuable in farming. Farmers take responsibility, and fix things themselves.
But Commissioner Harper pointed out that when it comes to mental health, people often can’t fix things by themselves. When someone is depressed or stressed or anxious, they need support from other people. In the case of mental health “you break it, you fix it” isn’t really helpful. It gets in the way of someone asking for and getting the help and support they need.
As Commissioner Harper was talking, I started picturing mental well-being as a really big piece of equipment, like a tractor or truck engine. For a serious repair, you need to hoist the tractor or truck engine out to work on it. This can maybe be done by one person, but it is much better if two people work on it together—faster, easier, and safer.
So, just like it’s better to have someone help you with a big equipment repair, it’s much better to have someone helping and supporting you when your mental well-being is suffering. It’s ok to ask for help, in fact it is smart and makes getting back to well-being faster, easier, and safer.
You may want to ask for “repair help” from a friend, a spouse, a pastor, or a professional counselor. To find professional help you can call the Georgia Crisis and Access Line (GCAL) at 1-800-715-4225 (to learn more, read here.) But be sure to ask someone. It is important, because you are important.
Just like you take care of your valuable equipment, you need to take care of your well-being. After all, YOU are the most important asset to your farm!
Thanks Commissioner Harper–your wise words help keep us thriving!
