{"id":351,"date":"2023-05-08T00:24:00","date_gmt":"2023-05-08T04:24:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/site.extension.uga.edu\/thriving\/?p=351"},"modified":"2023-05-12T09:46:26","modified_gmt":"2023-05-12T13:46:26","slug":"were-all-our-brothers-keepers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/site.extension.uga.edu\/thriving\/2023\/05\/were-all-our-brothers-keepers\/","title":{"rendered":"We\u2019re All Our Brothers\u2019 Keepers"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-28f84493 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>A phrase we often hear is about being \u201cour brother\u2019s keeper.\u201d We know that all people are our brothers and sisters, and being our brother\u2019s keeper means looking out for each other. We all want to do this when we can&#8211;if someone\u2019s barn burns down we want to help rebuild it, or if a farmer is seriously ill during harvest we all want to help the family harvest their crop.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-28f84493 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:66.66%\">\n<p><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/site.extension.uga.edu\/thriving\/files\/2023\/05\/hands-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-353\" width=\"362\" height=\"290\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Looking Out For Others and Stress<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Just like any other situation, we want to help others dealing with high stress.  Yet sometimes it can feel harder\u2014we don\u2019t want to intrude and so we hang back and wait to be asked for help. But when a person is under a lot of stress it can be really hard for them to ask for help.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In this context, it is <span style=\"text-decoration: underline\">very<\/span> important to be out brothers\u2019 keepers and not be afraid to reach out and support someone.&nbsp; It has been shown over and over again that one of the most powerful things for coping with stress is the support of friends and neighbors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So, how can we be our brothers\u2019 keepers around stress? &nbsp;Maybe someone is going through a difficult time\u2014they\u2019ve lost a loved one or are having trouble on their farm. Or maybe someone who was a regular at the coffee shop stops showing up, or you notice that they look unusually tired all the time.&nbsp; Something as simple as a text, a phone call, or a quick visit can make a world of difference.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What Do I Say?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>What are some caring messages we can give someone who is having a hard time?&nbsp; How about:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>We&#8217;ve missed you at church&#8211;how are things going?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>I\u2019m so sorry for your loss\u2014I\u2019d like to stop by and bring some (fill in the blank with their favorite food) and visit;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>I know things have been rough lately\u2014how are you doing, <em>really<\/em>?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>You\u2019re an important friend to me. I haven\u2019t seen you in a while\u2014let\u2019s get together Saturday.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>You get the idea. The words really aren\u2019t that important. Letting someone know you care, can listen, and are willing to help, even in just a small way, is what really matters. Persistence is important too. Don\u2019t take an \u201cOh I\u2019m fine\u201d at face value; keep checking in on your friends and neighbors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Committing to Care<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>For May, Mental Health Month, I\u2019m committing to two things. First, when someone asks me how I\u2019m doing, I\u2019m going to tell the truth and not gloss over it with an \u201cOh I\u2019m fine.\u201d Second, I\u2019m going to make an effort every day to reach out to someone and see how they are doing, by text or email or phone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If we are going to thrive on the farm, we all need to look out for each other. I hope you\u2019ll join me in this effort to be our brothers\u2019 keepers, for May, and for always.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>For more ways to start a caring conversation, check out the Farm Bureau Farm State of Mind website at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fb.org\/initiative\/farm-state-of-mind#starttheconversation\">https:\/\/www.fb.org\/initiative\/farm-state-of-mind#starttheconversation<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A phrase we often hear is about being \u201cour brother\u2019s keeper.\u201d We know that all people are our brothers and sisters, and being our brother\u2019s keeper means looking out for each other. We all want to do this when we can&#8211;if someone\u2019s barn burns down we want to help rebuild it, or if a farmer [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":217,"featured_media":352,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-351","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-relationships-and-stress"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/site.extension.uga.edu\/thriving\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/351","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=351"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/site.extension.uga.edu\/thriving\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/351\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":356,"href":"https:\/\/site.extension.uga.edu\/thriving\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/351\/revisions\/356"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/site.extension.uga.edu\/thriving\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/352"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/site.extension.uga.edu\/thriving\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=351"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/site.extension.uga.edu\/thriving\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=351"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/site.extension.uga.edu\/thriving\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=351"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}