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It’s Memorial Day, when we remember those men and women who have given their lives for our country. Memorial Day falls in the month of May, which means it is during Mental Health Awareness month. I can’t help but think about these two ideas together—remembering those who have died in service and being aware of…
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Have you ever had a time when you were stressed, but just didn’t want to talk to anyone or interact with any person? In this blog we’ve talked a lot about how important it is to reach out and connect when you’re feeling stressed or down…but sometimes in the moment, it just doesn’t feel right.…
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A few days ago, I had a really interesting conversation with a seasoned Ag educator and farmer about farmer stress and supporting farmers. He was talking about the Golden Rule—you know, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you”—and he asked me a question that has really stuck with me. “If,” he…
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May is Mental Health Awareness month. Sometimes people get uncomfortable or put off when we talk about mental health. It makes some folks feel like the conversation is going to get all squishy and overly emotional, or that needing support about mental health means someone is “crazy.” Sometimes words like “mental health” “counseling” “therapy” can…
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As I talk with people in agriculture about our farm stress work, I often get asked if there is a simple, central resource that discusses farmer stress—something that has information on what stress is and what it does, skills for managing stress, warning signs when stress gets too high in farmers, and what a loved…
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My mind has been wandering this week, thinking about decisions and feeling like I need to have all the answers. I started wondering–What could be more stressful than not knowing the answer to an important question or issue? I decided that even worse than the anxiety of not knowing something is not knowing and feeling…
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When I’m under a lot of stress I often forget to eat—usually because I’m busy and feel like I have to keep working and can’t stop. Then, when I get home, I swing in the other direction and stress eat, snacking on foods that comfort in the moment but make me feel tired and even…
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Now, I’m not at all a gambler, but occasionally I think it is interesting to read about poker players and how they “read” people during a game. One of the ideas I find really interesting is that of a “tell”—a change in how a player behaves or looks that gives a clue to their hand.…
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“What a pain in the neck!” is a common phrase we all use when something (or someone!) is a real bother. But literal neck pain can be a sign of stress. Of course, if you have neck pain that doesn’t go away or limits your motion, you should talk with your doctor. But minor neck…
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Whenever I talk with producers about stress, the conversation inevitably turns to money. Finances on the farm are some of the biggest stressors for producers—the uncertainty of input costs, commodity prices, farm loan rates, labor costs—it can feel like juggling blindfolded. I’ve been talking a lot about how to manage farm stress, and all the…
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