Everyone has a role to play in making sure we all stay safe. Recent research showed that four out of five young farmers (under 40) believe that mental health is the biggest hidden problem facing farmers today. (Source: Farm Safety Foundation Annual Safety Tracker Under 40s Oct 2021)
Hear from two young farmers below.
Thomas Saunders
Thomas grew up on a mixed farm in Bedfordshire. He is a student at Harper Adams University and a former NFU Student & Young Farmer Ambassador.
鈥淭his year鈥檚 Mind Your Head week gives us an opportunity to talk openly about how to look after our wellbeing and create an environment every day of the year where others in the agricultural community feel safe to share, if they are struggling.
鈥淚鈥檓 very fortunate in that I haven鈥檛 experienced too many challenges with my own mental health, but the Farm Safety Foundation鈥檚 campaign is such an important one and helps dispel the myths attached to anyone suffering with their mental health.
鈥淲e have to keep saying it, but our mental health is just as important as our physical health and they are linked. One of the real positives of working in the farming industry is that we鈥檙e constantly outside on the move, doing physical jobs that make us fit and healthy and that can really help with our mental wellbeing.
Adopting a positive work-life balance
鈥淪omething that鈥檚 also really helped me keep good mental health is having boundaries in my working hours. Too often as young farmers we鈥檝e seen our parents work out on the farm all day and come back in the evening to sit for hours in the office doing paperwork. Having that work-life balance is vital and even at university I try to stick to a working day and then switch off in the evening.
鈥淚t鈥檚 important to remember to do things outside of farming too to improve our mental health. When I鈥檝e had a bad day, I find rugby training with my mates always helps and putting on the cricket or Six Nations helps me unwind and relax. The smallest things can often have the biggest impact.
鈥淐reating those spaces for people in the farming community to share their mental health experiences is so important. As a former NFU Student & Young Farmer Ambassador I will be trying to open up conversations about wellbeing. That鈥檚 why this week I will be calling a friend each evening to check in and as Farm Safety Foundation suggest, ask twice how they鈥檙e doing.鈥�
Mary Raymond
Mary grew up on a mixed farm in Pembrokeshire. She studies agri-business at Reading University and is a former NFU Student & Young Farmer Ambassador.
鈥淚t鈥檚 the Farm Safety Foundation鈥檚 Mind Your Head week. This important campaign works to challenge the perceptions of mental health in farming and agriculture. A big part of removing the stigma around mental health is talking about our own experiences to help others see that it is a normal part of life.
鈥淢any people found the Covid-19 pandemic lockdown hard, but for me that鈥檚 when I thrived. Being at home in the countryside on our farm made me so happy. I love being around my parents, the farm animals and my dog, a cheeky little bobtail collie.
鈥淣ow I鈥檝e come away to university, I鈥檝e really struggled with my mental health. I鈥檝e felt lonely and homesick and on a university visit to a dairy farm recently it all got a bit much and I became really upset.
Confide in your trusted circle
鈥淔ostering a sense of community is so important in rural areas and in farming. Talking openly in those communities that we trust about our own mental health is vital as it provides the opportunity for others to share and see that they鈥檙e not alone.
鈥淎t university I鈥檝e found my agriculture course mates, many of whom are young men, to be a real help for me while I鈥檓 struggling. That really gives me hope that the stigma around mental health, especially for young men, is being lifted.
鈥淲ith 92% of UK farmers under 40 saying mental health is one of the biggest hidden problems facing farmers today, reflecting on the mental health benefits of working in the industry is so worthwhile.
Keeping the positives in mind
鈥淲hen I鈥檓 working at home I have the most stunning view across the coast, something I would never have sitting in an office job, and it makes me feel so lucky. I also get such joy during lambing season, hearing the lambs and their mums really helps my wellbeing. And as mental and physical health are so closely linked, I鈥檓 thankful for the fitness farming has given me.
鈥淲e should all prioritise our mental health each and every day. I play rugby and chat with friends to nurture mine. During this year鈥檚 Mind Your Head week I鈥檓 going to share more of my own mental health experiences on social media now I鈥檓 appointed as an NFU Student & Young Farmer Ambassador. What will you be doing?鈥�
Reach out
Mental health issues do not discriminate. No-one is immune.
They can affect anyone, and there are reasons why sometimes people working in agriculture can be some of the hardest hit.
Take a look at some of the resources available online and reach out using the hashtag.
