Farming or ranching scenes on social media will most often depict unmatched beauty & genuine wholesomeness-a newborn calf, perfectly straight rows of corn, cattle grazing & gorgeous harvest sunsets. The lifestyle has a tendency to be romanticized, by many. While it does feel amazing to grow something with your own hands & tend to land, passed down through generations, there are also many burdens on the shoulders of those who do.
Agriculture can have a dark side. Moments filled with doubt, disappointment, despair, uncertainty & anxiety are common, many times on the daily. Many of these forces are beyond control. Add to that, weather, world unrest & balancing family life & sometimes, it can become too much. Mental health still has a stigma surrounding it, especially in the agricultural industry. Talking about things that affect one’s mind has been considered “taboo” for a lot of farmers. But in order to fix the problem, we must first own up to the problem. If an implement is broken on the farm, it is repaired swiftly. The same needs to be done for the most important asset in a farming operation.
It’s ok to take an afternoon off, to help heal your mind. Do something enjoyable, to lighten your spirit. Focus on a healthy diet & exercise, to give your mind & body the movement & fuel it needs. And if there’s a spot that you feel like you can’t climb out of, that’s where we need to have accessible resources. In rural America, mental health resources are some of the most desperately needed medical services. So let’s start there. Let’s keep breaking the stigma. Let’s keep making strides in this arena together.
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