9 ways farmers can improve their mental and physical health

There are clear connections between your mind and body – and keeping both healthy is essential.

A healthy mind often means you are more likely to take care of your physical health as well – including eating more healthily and staying active.

Similarly, when our mental health is suffering, we can neglect our personal welfare, which can make us less confident, more irritable and impulsive and even more likely to make mistakes or have accidents.

Personal resilience in farming is a widely recognised process of coping with stress and ‘bouncing forward’ from difficult situations. Resilience helps you cope with pressure, adversity and uncertainty.

See also: How farmers can improve their post-lockdown health

Here are nine ways to improve your mental and physical health on the farm:

1. Keeping active

Farming is a hands-on profession and staying active is often part of the job. However, finding time to engage in intentional exercise, such as yoga, weightlifting or fitness, is a great way of staying positive.

Exercise helps your cardiovascular system work more efficiently and releases chemicals that can reduce the effects of stress and produce positive feelings.

The mood-boosting properties of exercise are well researched, so it’s well worth making the time. Even 15-30 minutes of exercise a day can make a world of difference.

2. Taking a break

It isn’t always easy, but everyone needs a break. Try to get into the habit of taking regular breaks throughout the day – 10mins where you’re focusing on something else, or 15mins where you can tune into the radio or watch some television.

When we spend all day working, it can be hard to separate work life and home life. Finding a balance is important to ensure we avoid burnout.

3. Making time for hobbies

We all have hobbies and a diverse range of interests. Your hobbies might involve something on the farm, or could be something completely unrelated – such as video games, painting, playing music or competing in a sport.

Whatever makes you happy, make sure you take time to fit it into your busy schedule. You shouldn’t feel guilty taking some downtime to do the things you enjoy.

And if that involves constructing a replica of the Millennium Falcon from Star Wars out of Lego bricks, don’t be afraid to celebrate the things that bring you joy and make time for them.

4. Listening to podcasts/music

Cookery, true crime, foreign affairs, microbiology – there’s a podcast for every interest, and many comedians and other celebrities have launched podcasts as well.

If you haven’t dipped your toes into the exciting world of podcasts yet, it’s worth having a look at what is out there, as chances are there will be something that matches your interests and can take your mind off farm work for a while (or can be played in the background while you’re working).

Listening to music is also a fantastic way to unwind – whether your preference is relaxing ambient sounds, jazzy grooves or thrash metal, many people find music a good panacea and mood-booster.

5. Talking to others

Even if you’re not the most sociable person, talking to people – friends, co-workers, family – really does make a huge difference, especially if you’re worried about something or need someone to let off steam to.

Many people are understanding and will have the time to give to try to help you.

There are plenty of other ways of talking to people with similar interests nowadays, too – including social media such Tumblr or Reddit, popular apps like Discord and WhatsApp and online forums.

If you are willing to talk, you’ll often find people are happy to listen.

6. Going for a walk

Going for a walk can be meditative.

As well as being good for you as a form of exercise, walking, exploring your surroundings and breathing fresh air can be a great way of getting your mind off things, or processing thoughts that you may have been putting off.

Farming allows us to spend time in the great outdoors, but taking time off-farm to visit parks, nature reserves or other tourist spots is also important – a change of scenery can often be a good thing.

7. Making lists of what needs to be done

Some people are natural list-makers, others are very good at making lists in their head. But writing lists down has a lot of benefits – including making sure things aren’t forgotten as new surprises crop up.

Listing what needs to be done and prioritising and allocating time to do the different tasks can help make things feel less overwhelming.

There may be something that needs resolving – but does it need resolving right now, or can you push it back for a while until you’re more mentally prepared to deal with it?

8. Live a healthy lifestyle

Nobody is saying you need to give up ordering an enormous curry on a Friday evening or stop drinking – but if you’re doing these things in excess, it may be worth thinking about where you can make subtle but achievable changes.

If you smoke, can you cut down? If you eat a lot of processed foods, can you try and cook a healthy meal a few times a week?

Small changes over time can make a big difference. A healthier diet and lifestyle can increase your energy levels, make you feel less lethargic and even boost your mood.

9. Remember – you’re not alone

Even if you feel like you’re on your own or the only person who has experienced a particular issue, there will be others out there in a similar boat to you.

Talking, sharing how you’re feeling and asking for help if you need it isn’t a sign of weakness; instead, it’s a sign of strength to recognise that you don’t have all the answers and may need to rely on others once in a while.

FCN and other charities and organisations are here to help. Contact FCN on 03000 111 999 or email help@fcn.org.uk if you’d like to speak confidentially with an FCN volunteer who understands the pressures that come with farming.