As spring is inching closer, farmers are going to have a new set of stresses as they get ready to head to the field.
Eric Karbowski, community behavioral health educator with MSU Extension, says we should be aware of how we respond to that stress.
“Do you act out, are you angry are you frustrated? Do you eat? Do you oversleep? Those are all common signs of somebody that might be experiencing stress,” he said.
People under stress can experience a variety of physical symptoms such as headaches, stomach aches, high blood pressure or sugar, anxious, sad, or feeling hopeless.
“We may also see an increased use of substances which could be cigarettes, alcohol, drugs, tobacco,” said Karbowski. “We may see people that might act out—they may break things, yell or scream. Or start to see people withdraw, start to isolate themselves because there’s so many different stresses in their lives they don’t feel like they have the time.”
Karbowski said with the plethora of issues farmers face every day, it’s important to know when to seek help. He said if your quality of life is impacted or if you struggle making decisions, it might be time to reach out.
“Those would all be indicators that maybe you are experiencing a significant amount of stress, and if you don’t take control of that, it could lead to further complications down the road,” he said. “Do some self-reflection—what are the things creating stress in your life? Can you control some of those? If you see yourself experiencing some of those concerns, it’s a great time to reach out.”
There are many tools available for farmers to utilize.
Resources:
Karbowski’s full presentation as part of Michigan Corn’s “Coffee with Corn” series
MSU Extension Managing Farm Stress
