RSABI chief executive Carol McLaren and Easter Ross farmer John Scott will speaking on personal resilience to deal with the challenges of farming at Future Farming Expo.
Ms McLaren has attended many of RSABI’s mental health first aid training days around Scotland and says almost invariable, a lightbulb moment for attendees is a ‘stress bucket’.
“We all experience stress – it is a normal part of life – and our personal stress buckets can start to fill with a whole range of stressors, from financial worries and relationship issues to weather, bottling things up and not sleeping well,” said Ms McLaren.
“When we feel overwhelmed, we struggle to make good business and personal decisions and things can start to spiral downwards so it’s vital we don’t allow our own stress buckets to get too full, or worse, to overflow.
“This is where the taps at the bottom of our personal stress buckets allow us to cope and keep our stress levels at a manageable level to allow us to thrive and enjoy life.
“Regular exercise, eating well, taking a break off-farm and making sure you get enough sleep are among the “taps” we can open up to keep the level low in our stress buckets.
“To build resilience for the future, ahead of a time of change in Scottish agriculture, have a think about the stress-relieving “taps” you can build into your life. It could make a world of difference.”
John Scott, chairman of Farmstrong Scotland, says: “Farming, as we know, faces many challenges, from the weather to farm gate prices, political changes and recruiting staff, alongside day-to-day activity such as pressures during lambing, calving and harvest.
“Like many other farmers and crofters, I haven’t historically been good at looking after myself, and face highs and lows. We consistently demand more of our bodies and minds and wonder why every now and again we lack energy, struggle with decisions, and have no desire to plan for the future.”
Mr Scott says one of best things he is does is ‘connect’ – one of the key five wellbeing steps he will be touching on during the Future Farming Expo.
“Through Farmstrong Scotland, a new wellbeing initiative, we are building a peer-to-peer network so together we can share our own stories, listen, or simply attend a social event, and get some time away from the farm or croft,” he added.
“Our work will develop tools using knowledge from practical farming and science-based studies, whilst also signposting anyone who may need further support to other charities and health professionals.
“Our industry is changing and whilst it’s important our businesses evolve, we mustn’t forget about our most important asset, ourselves.”