Health and wellbeing support for farmers and rural workers

Health & Wellbeing

Our primary goal is to support rural people heal and recover; returning to farming and family sooner rather than later

Mental health was seen by those experiencing mental illness as placing a burden on family and friends. Most still don’t reach out due to shame or the fear of being treated unfairly - yet half of the NZ population experiences mental illness at some time in their lives.  

Rural Support Trust Facilitators are trained to recognise signs of dis-Stress and/or Stress and triage rural people with anxiety and/or depression in a caring, confidential and compassionate manner.

Our other goal is to support development of Individual and Community resilience with education.

Free community training is delivered through a Good Yarn Mental Health workshop so get in touch with your local Trust.  

Read on for more information to support your road to recovery, or phone us on 0800 824 757.

Stress and Burnout

We all have ups and downs at work and in life. To manage potential stress and burnout check out Farmstrong’s tips and tricks.  They also have a handy warning signs checklist to help you recognise the signs of stress in yourself or others and reach out for help. 

Five Ways to Wellbeing

The five ways to wellbeing can help people stay mentally well

Connect, me whakawhanaunga

Talk, listen, be there.  Positive social interactions make us feel happy, connected and secure.

Be Active, me kori tonu

Being physically active can improve our wellbeing.  Do what you can and enjoy what you do. 

Take Notice, me aro tonu

Take note of the little things that bring you joy. This can include gratitude, forgiveness and reflection.

Keep Learning, me ako tonu

Embrace new experiences, see opportunities.  As an adult this can help to set and achieve goals.

Give, tukua

Your time, yours words, your presence.  By helping others, we give ourselves a sense of purse and a feeling of being part of a community or team.

For more information check out the Five Ways To Wellbeing Resources on the Mental Health Foundation website.

Looking after our physical health is an important part of looking after both our mental and physical wellbeing.

Sleep

Our body is designed to get 8 hours sleep. Things can get tough quickly if you aren’t getting enough sleep.  Sleep deprivation can impact your mental and physical wellbeing.  It can make you tired, intolerant and exhausted and fatigue can be a factor in accidents.  Farmstrong have some useful tips on how to help get to sleep and stay asleep.  Sleep well

Nutrition

All farmers know nutrition is important.  They assess it on a day to day basis for their animals. We need to ensure our own diet is nutritious and sufficient to fuel our daily activities, including remaining hydrated particularly on those hot summer days working outside.  There are loads of tips on the Farmstrong website to help you meet your daily nutritional requirements and some time saving tips to make it easy.  Eat well

Physical Activity

Being physically active helps us on farm but also ensures we can keep doing and seeing the things we love.  Daily physical activity will help ensure you are prepared for the high impact times on farm such as calving and lambing.  Farm fit helps you with the three steps to get going and keep going – make it a habit – start slowly – involve others.

Remember, you get your machinery checked and serviced regularly.  It is important to do the same for yourself with a check up at your GP.  


Check out some useful articles about health and wellbeing:

Te Ara Kōhungahunga | Early Childhood - Online Learning (The Correspondence School)

Te Ara Kōhungahunga | Early Childhood - Online Learning (The Correspondence School)

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Government announces drought support for Canterbury and Otago

Government announces drought support for Canterbury and Otago

The Coalition Government is expanding the medium-scale adverse event classification in place for the Marlborough, Nelson, and Tasman districts to cover the Canterbury and Otago regions,...
March 25, 2024 0 Comments
Rural Women NZ Triple F Challenge - Cromwell, Central Otago

Rural Women NZ Triple F Challenge - Cromwell, Central Otago

Triple F is an experience that provides a wonderful opportunity for connection while supporting RWNZ’s charitable aims. Each location brings its own flavour to the Triple F Challenge, with...
4/26/2024 - 4/27/2024 0 Comments
Opinion : Are we doing rural mental health right?

Opinion : Are we doing rural mental health right?

In my line of work, I see people at their best and worst. It can be challenging and gradual but being a part of the experience of fundamental change within someone suffering from mental health...
March 18, 2024 0 Comments
Better Hunting - Free NZ hunting essentials eLearning

Better Hunting - Free NZ hunting essentials eLearning

Hunting wild game can be a great way to learn new skills, shrink your focus, slow down and make an achievable mission of something.

January 27, 2024 0 Comments
9 things I wish everyone knew about grief…by Dr Lucy Hone

9 things I wish everyone knew about grief…by Dr Lucy Hone

Dr Lucy Hone is a Top 20 TED Talk of 2020; Global authority on resilience. Keynote Speaker, Best-selling Author, Award-winning 'pracademic', Media Commentator. Key topics include...
January 23, 2024 0 Comments
Rural mental health cases spike in Southland - Story by Federated Farmers in the Farmers Weekly

Rural mental health cases spike in Southland - Story by Federated Farmers in the Farmers Weekly

A combination of financial pressures, flooding, employment issues and isolation took a toll on Southland farmers’ mental health at the end 2023.   Southland Rural Support Trust...
January 12, 2024 0 Comments
Commence the Re-Fence Campaign - Gift a Tractor!

Commence the Re-Fence Campaign - Gift a Tractor!

Federated Farmers are proud to be supporting an inspiring initiative called "Commence the Re-Fence" in the aftermath of Cyclone Gabriele, which has been launched to provide support to...
December 11, 2023 0 Comments
2024 Fonterra Dairy Women of the Year applications and nominations now open!

2024 Fonterra Dairy Women of the Year applications and nominations now open!

DWN are recognising the hard work that women contribute to the sector, and celebrating those who have stepped up to lead their teams, communities and the wider industry with motivation and passion...
December 11, 2023 0 Comments
New rural clinical telehealth service set to support rural communities across Aotearoa

New rural clinical telehealth service set to support rural communities across Aotearoa

Following a contestable process (RFP) which received strong interest from the health sector, Ka Ora Telecare Limited (known as ‘Ka Ora’) has been awarded the contract to deliver the...
November 23, 2023 0 Comments
FMG Spot Check Roadie with Melanoma New Zealand

FMG Spot Check Roadie with Melanoma New Zealand

The FMG Spot Check Roadie kicked off last year and visited four locations around the country, for the full results.  And this year they're heading out again with their partners...
October 20, 2023 0 Comments
Surfing for Farmers recognised as Rural Champions at B+LNZ Awards

Surfing for Farmers recognised as Rural Champions at B+LNZ Awards

The Beef + Lamb New Zealand awards were held last night in Christchurch. The judges said it was hard not to give Surfing For Farmers a perfect score.
October 20, 2023 0 Comments
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