{"id":54350,"date":"2022-12-01T10:33:10","date_gmt":"2022-11-30T21:33:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.farmersweekly.co.nz\/?p=54350"},"modified":"2022-12-01T11:16:25","modified_gmt":"2022-11-30T22:16:25","slug":"the-importance-of-getting-back-on-the-horse","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.farmersweekly.co.nz\/people\/the-importance-of-getting-back-on-the-horse\/","title":{"rendered":"The importance of getting back on the horse"},"content":{"rendered":"Reading Time: <\/span> 5<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span>\n

Jason Halford learnt the hard way about burnout on-farm. Now he\u2019s working with Farmstrong to raise awareness about what farmers can do to prevent it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How\u2019s the season been for you?<\/strong>
It\u2019s been a tricky spring for everyone, hasn\u2019t it [laughs], very wet and overcast at times here and unexpected frosts, but that\u2019s what the weather does these days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You\u2019ve been using Movember to raise awareness about rural mental health. What\u2019s planned?<\/strong>
Yesterday a group of us walked up Mount Tauhara in Taup\u014d. We\u2019ve also got a few fun things coming up like some golf and a swim in the lake. The idea is just to get away from work for a bit and have a good catch-up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You suffered from burnout when you were dairy farming, didn\u2019t you?<\/strong>
Yes, I\u2019ve been there and felt like that. I was in a milking shed one day absolutely in tears, just thinking \u201cMan, I am so tired.\u201d Anyone\u2019s who\u2019s ever been in that position knows how horrible it feels. Now I\u2019m doing my bit to prevent others going through what I experienced. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I think a lot of farmers will be interested in what you do differently now. How do you hold down a high-pressure job and keep well?<\/strong>
The main thing is making sure you get time off. That\u2019s just so important. I learnt the hard way that long days and plenty of them are no good for you in the long run. It might seem like you\u2019re doing the right thing at the time, but believe me, you\u2019re not. Everyone needs time to recover physically and mentally.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What do you do to recharge your batteries?<\/strong>
Exercise is key for me. When I was dairy farming, for example, I set myself a challenge of running a half marathon. I had to train to do that so there was no excuse. So, my advice to dairy farmers would be, after a busy time like mating, set yourself a challenge with a friend then get into it. As farmers we\u2019ve already got a base level of physical fitness to bounce off, so instead of letting your winter weight come on, do something to boost your mood.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You mean \u201cweight\u201d in every sense of the word?<\/strong>
Absolutely. Getting out there and doing something different is great for your mental health.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What else is important?<\/strong>
Having a good support network. I was lucky when I was farming in the Hawkes Bay that I had a mate who would always ring me and just say, \u201cHey I haven\u2019t seen you much. What\u2019s going on?\u201d He was always checking in and positive. Those are the sort of people you want around you. Farming can be a very demanding job and it\u2019s so easy when you get together to just complain and bring each other down! Somehow you need to avoid that negative spiral.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How do you maintain a good \u201cheadspace\u201d?<\/strong>
I write my challenges down. It makes you step back and honestly assess, \u201cIs this really a problem or am I just needlessly stewing over something in my head?\u201d Nine times out of 10  you\u2019ll go, \u201cYeah, that\u2019s not actually such a big deal.\u201d The other thing I find helpful is to make sure I live in the present and don\u2019t let my thoughts wander off.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How does that help?<\/strong>
Well, it\u2019s good to look forward and plan things, but to be happy you actually have to live in the present and be excited about that. Living like that has helped me realise that farming\u2019s pretty awesome and I\u2019ve just got to enjoy the good stuff and not worry endlessly about things that may never happen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What about those days when nothing seems to go right?
<\/strong>For me it\u2019s as simple as getting home and spending 10 minutes with the kids. Life\u2019s simple for kids and it should be. If you can\u2019t do that, try 10 minutes of exercise. Something as simple as a walk down the road can do the trick and clear your brain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What can you do if you\u2019re feeling exhausted?
<\/strong>I\u2019d say make sure you\u2019re eating and sleeping well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What do you mean by eating well?
<\/strong>Making sure you\u2019re eating a lot of good food and you\u2019re getting three good meals a day and not skipping breakfast and trying to compensate with sweet stuff and energy drinks. You\u2019ve got to eat for tomorrow in farming and get the fuel in the tank your body needs for a physical job.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A lot of farmers tell us they struggle with sleep.<\/strong>
Yes, I know that feeling and that\u2019s a sign of stress. That\u2019s why it\u2019s important to live in the present and not always be worrying about the future. If you can do that, you can tell your brain, \u201cHey, now I\u2019m sleeping and I\u2019m not going to worry about that\u201d and get back to sleep. That\u2019s what I do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What\u2019s your main message to other farmers?<\/strong>
Don\u2019t wait until you reach a crisis point like I did. Pick up on the signs that you\u2019re not feeling 100% and talk to someone about it. If you\u2019re finding it harder and harder to get motivated that\u2019s a sign you need to talk to someone \u2013 a good friend, a helpline or your doctor. Accept you\u2019re not feeling 100 and deal with it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What\u2019s at stake?<\/strong>
How you\u2019re feeling on farm impacts many people \u2013 your family, your farm team, your community. That\u2019s why you\u2019ve got to do something and not struggle on. It starts with admitting \u201cI\u2019m not right, I\u2019m going to stick my head up and I\u2019m going to get some help.\u201d Or if you\u2019re sitting there in a discussion group and noticing that some people aren\u2019t turning up or don\u2019t seem to have their head above water, go and talk to them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Farmers are always busy. How do you integrate this thinking into your business?<\/strong>
It\u2019s about committing to change. Write some goals down, get excited about those and then stick to your plan for three months until it becomes a habit. If you fall off the horse for a while, make sure you get back on it. That\u2019s what I\u2019ve done.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Do you think people are more open to talking about these issues?<\/strong>
I think there\u2019s still some stigma around the topic of mental health and we\u2019ve got a way to go. That\u2019s why I\u2019m more than happy to talk about it, because it\u2019s better for New Zealand agriculture if we do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What about Farmstrong? Do you think its messages are catching on?<\/strong>
These ideas are definitely worth promoting. Poor wellbeing nibbles away at you like a mouse eating holes in a block of cheese \u2019til there\u2019s not much left. If you do nothing, it makes it so much harder for you to get better. That\u2019s why we need to be proactive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How does the business benefit?<\/strong>
The farm benefits immediately. If you\u2019re in a positive mindset, you back the farm and you back your team. Dairy farmers spend a lot of time with their team and they soon pick up on this stuff.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What does being Farmstrong mean to you?<\/strong>
It\u2019s about being able to wake up, do a good day\u2019s work and go home feeling pleased and positive about the day. It\u2019s about spending time with your family, making sure you\u2019re not working 14 hours a day and having strategies in place to get through the year, so you don\u2019t burn out. Being Farmstrong means being physically and mentally prepared for the job every day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

MORE: Farmstrong is a nationwide rural wellbeing programme that helps farmers and growers to manage the ups and downs of farming. For farmer-to-farmer tips and resources on how to stay Farmstrong, check out farmstrong.co.nz<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The main thing is making sure you get time off. \n","protected":false},"author":21,"featured_media":54351,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_FSMCFIC_featured_image_caption":"","_FSMCFIC_featured_image_nocaption":"","_FSMCFIC_featured_image_hide":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[129,102],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t