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.