Dealing with stress on the farm

Many farmers would say they are not stressed, but their families would have a different opinion. That’s based on research we did in 2014 where we asked farmers and those around them about the issue,” says Patricia Murray, work and organisational psychologist with the Health and Safety Authority (HSA).

Patricia will be a speaker at a series of seminars being run jointly in October by the HSA and Mental Health Ireland about workplace mental health.

“Children might say, for example, that mum or dad are angry or short-tempered all the time, where Mum or dad might say they are not as they don’t recognise how their behaviour is manifesting. Or the children would say that their parents are rushing and making mistakes or that they are rude to people and they drive really fast and the children hate that.

“All of us have blind spots in relation to what causes us stress and in terms of how we behave when we’re stressed. It’s not always straightforward denial, it’s subconscious – we just don’t know that we’re stressed.”

Lack of self-awareness can be at the heart of it, she says.

“Keen self-awareness is rarer among older farmers. I would see a difference between younger farmers and older ones in terms of an acceptance of mental health being a legitimate issue.”

The culture of the people who went into farming in the past was more macho, as were the times, she says.

“It required a more closed-off attitude to emotional wellbeing because they didn’t have the time, expertise or upbringing to embrace thinking about feelings like that. Younger farmers are more aware of mental health and will hopefully talk about things like depression and anxiety, which is healthy.”

IMBALANCE at work CAUSES STRESS

Harbouring resentment can be a negative in terms of people’s mental health, she adds.

“Whatever job you’re in, farming or otherwise, if you feel effort/reward imbalance (that you’re not being fairly rewarded for your work) over a long period of time it can lead to you feeling distressed.”

WORKING ON your OWN

In relation to safety on the farm, working on one’s own may lead to increased risk-taking behaviour.

“You don’t have the banter and collegiality of an open-plan office if you’re working on a farm and it’s a loss in terms of consultation/dialogue. You’re not thinking socially as there is no one around to advise you against taking chances that you might be considering. There’s sometimes an association between lone working and taking higher degrees of risk.”

SPOT THE WARNING SIGNS of stress

Would you know when someone is under severe stress and needed help? These are the warning signs:

MAY PUSH YOU AWAY

The problem is that people who are stressed are not the easiest people to help, she says.

“They push you away and can be very angry. It’s not easy, but this issue of avoiding human contact really has to be addressed. Don’t rush in with solutions, however, because that just annoys the person. Don’t say: ‘Why don’t you do this or that or the other?’ Listen to them and acknowledge the sharing of the issue and how they are feeling and say things like: ‘I’m glad you feel you can talk to me.’

“Down the line, you might advise: ‘Did you ever think maybe a bit of this might help or a bit of that?’ Also suggest that they see their GP and leave the Samaritans number out somewhere too, just so that they’d have it if they need it.”

Medication can help in the short-term, she adds, followed by some talk therapy. Maybe a bit of CBT or counselling or chatting to someone after they come off the medication after six to 12 weeks because they are then back to seeing things more clearly. There can be very real reasons why people are stressed, such as financial loss, but you have to talk about it in order to better seek solutions.”

LOOK FOR STRESS SIGNS IN YOURSELF

Finola Colgan of Mental Health Ireland has this advice for dealing with stress and building resilience:

While resilience won’t prevent stressful things happening, it can reduce the impact of those events and the length of time it takes to recover from them. CL

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ARE YOU OVER-STRESSED OR BURNT OUT?

Check out our table (right) to see where you fit. For dealing with burnout, the three Rs approach is recommended: recognise the signs; reverse the damage by seeking support and managing stress; and build your resilience.

USEFUL WEBSITES

www.mentalhealthireland.ie

www.aware.ie

www.grow.ie

www.samaritans.ie or call 01-116123

SEMINARS

The HSA and Mental Health Ireland are hosting a series of seminars in association with the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work, entitled Mind Your Mental Health: Practical Workplace Strategies for Small Organisations.