UW Extension shares tips for stress relief

Everyone knows that farming is hard work, but the fall harvest, with 18 hourplus workdays brings additional stress and pressures that can feel overwhelming to even the calmest farmers. The demanding conditions of bringing in the harvest results in farmers being deprived of sleep, eating a less than healthy diet and being at risk for accidents on the farm. It’s “go” time in the agriculture world and with a plan in place, it is possible to manage the additional stress before the stress of the holiday season kicks into high gear. Recognize that you are going into a stressful time of year. Stress manifests itself differently in each person. Left unmanaged, stress can lead to life-altering effects such as anxiety, heart attacks, depression, damaged personal relationships and even suicide.

Here are several suggestions that will help you through the harvest season.

n Take care of you and your physical needs. This will reduce the risk of an injury during harvest time. Get enough sleep, pace yourself and plan out your day’s activities. Take short breaks throughout the day. Get out of the combine or truck for a few minutes, and do something to get away from the equipment and revitalize. Physical injuries abound when we are stressed and fatigued. Eating healthy meals will help you feel focused and replenished. Highprotein foods such as jerky and nuts give prolonged energy, while fruits can give you a quick burst. When your body feels good, your mind feels good.

n Find time for things that alleviate your stress. Stress management for farmers can mean taking a few minutes to do something that feels refreshing and restorative to you. That might mean taking an extra five-minutes to enjoy your coffee or tea in the morning before you start your day. We all know stress happens and seems to make small problems even bigger. Surprisingly, research shows that a good laugh can have great short and long-term effects on stress. My husband, the coach, teaches his athletes to laugh in stressful situations. The laughter mitigates the stress caused cortisol in the brain and allows the player to perform as normal. Laughter can change our perception of an adverse situation and relieves us from the cycle of stress. Another strategy is to practice gratitude by identifying daily those people and moments that bring a sense of thankfulness and joy. Finding gratitude in our life can help reduce stress and put things into perspective. Try to start or end your day with one thing for which you are thankful. This practice has been researched and shown to improve your emotional well-being.

n Reach out for support when you’re feeling overwhelmed. Studies have shown that having a network of social support is critical in helping you through tough times. Make an intentional effort to reach out to friends on a regular basis just to check in by text, phone, or in-person. Talk to your spouse, friends or other trusted advisers and let them know what concerns you. They might be able to offer advice or just a listening ear. Healthy conversations do matter. Another strategy is to engage with animals such as petting your dog or cat. Petting an animal causes the release of the feel-good hormone oxytocin in the brain mitigating stress while also reducing heart rate and blood pressure. Plus, there is no judgement from animals.

The University of Wisconsin Division of Extension is working hard to help farmers, families, businesses, and communities remain resilient by learning how to manage stress and use planning tools to make sound decisions and create a road-map for the future. This resource is available for you to find more information about farm stress https://farms. extension.wisc.edu/farmstress/ Call the Extension office to find out more information about resources available to you.