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Disclaimer: Before I start, I want you to know that I\u2019m going to talk about something serious and painful this time\u2014stress and suicide.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n It happened again. Someone I know lost a loved one on the farm to suicide. It happens more frequently than you would think; according to some studies farmers have among the highest suicide rates of any profession. The stigma of needing mental health help still keeps people from asking for support and talking about their pain. The stigma needs to stop, and it needs to be ok to not be ok.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In this blog I\u2019ve been providing simple stress management tips and strategies to keep stress from getting overwhelming. But sometimes, strategies aren\u2019t enough. The stress gets huge and people can feel crushed. Sadly, most of the time they are afraid to talk about it. Today I\u2019m writing to ask us all to break the silence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you\u2019re suffering and feeling anxious or depressed or like nothing matters\u2014speak to someone. There are people who care and who want you to be safe and well. Talk with a close friend, or a pastor, or a counselor. Talk with someone. There is help and support out there. If you don\u2019t know where to turn, call 988<\/a> <\/strong>, a national network that provides free and confidential emotional support 24\/7 and can help you find services in your area.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you are worried about a friend or family member who has been under a lot of stress and doesn\u2019t seem to be themselves, don\u2019t stay quiet. Even if it\u2019s outside of your comfort zone, ask how they are doing, and be willing to listen. Acknowledge what they\u2019re going through, and let them know they don\u2019t have to go through it alone. Offer to take them to talk with a pastor, a doctor, a counselor (again, 988 can help). Stay connected and let them know you care.<\/p>\n\n\n\n American Farm Bureau has the Farm State of Mind<\/em> campaign, encouraging conversations about farmer stress and mental health. They have lots of resources\u2026take a look at this excellent video they produced Mental Health in Rural America <\/a> and their great website<\/a> . You can find even more resources at the Farm and Ranch Stress Assistance Network<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n One of the things I\u2019ve learned about farming communities is the pride they have in taking care of their own. Let\u2019s take care of ourselves, our own, and all in the ag community. Let\u2019s talk about stress and mental health and hope and resilience. Remember, you<\/em> are the most important asset of your farm, and crucially important to your family, and your community.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Disclaimer: Before I start, I want you to know that I\u2019m going to talk about something serious and painful this time\u2014stress and suicide. It happened again. Someone I know lost a loved one on the farm to suicide. It happens more frequently than you would think; according to some studies farmers have among the highest […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":217,"featured_media":261,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-260","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/site.extension.uga.edu\/thriving\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/260","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/site.extension.uga.edu\/thriving\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/site.extension.uga.edu\/thriving\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/site.extension.uga.edu\/thriving\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/217"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/site.extension.uga.edu\/thriving\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=260"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/site.extension.uga.edu\/thriving\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/260\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":266,"href":"https:\/\/site.extension.uga.edu\/thriving\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/260\/revisions\/266"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/site.extension.uga.edu\/thriving\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/261"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/site.extension.uga.edu\/thriving\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=260"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/site.extension.uga.edu\/thriving\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=260"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/site.extension.uga.edu\/thriving\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=260"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"\"](\"https:\/\/site.extension.uga.edu\/thriving\/files\/2023\/01\/49552208547_a32e8bb2d6_c.jpg\")
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