Lesley Kelly was one of the keynote speakers at the Jan. 23 Ag Outlook presentation, where she shared five keys to handling stress that she learned while working on the farm with her family.
Speaking at the Living Sky Casino in Swift Current, Sask., and to an online audience, the Watrous-based farmer and entrepreneur also explored some of the unique challenges faced by agricultural producers that ultimately led her to co-found the Do More Agriculture Foundation back in 2017.
“Looking back to when I was growing up on the farm… we didn’t have those skills to be able to share and talk about (stress and mental health). We just didn’t know how to,” she said.
“Since we didn’t know how to talk about it, we didn’t talk about it, and we were all suffering in silence. I saw how that silence could be detrimental and so hard.”
Her five key lessons were presented through what she called the “STORM analogy.”
Stress: She said it’s important to recognize the signs and symptoms of stress in yourself and others and learn to be aware of where you’re at each day. One method she advised is doing a regular tailgate check-in, where everyone rates their own sense of stress on a scale from one to 10.
Take action: Once you recognize your own unique level of stress, Kelly advises farmers take a break if the momentary stress load is too overwhelming. For her and her husband, this break takes the form of a brief walk or a drive to talk things over.
Open communication: Kelly said her family overcame the mental health implications of high stress through open communication, by asking how everyone is doing, using supportive language, and actively listening.
Relationships: Everyone brings a different set of skills and knowledge to the farm, so conflict is bound to happen. Kelly reminded farmers that it’s not about perfectionism, but about progress. The key is to work on developing stronger relationships, and handling stress is a lot easier with people in your corner.
Management: Stress management is about knowing and using available tips and tools. Kelly uses the analogy of a slip tank: if your tank is empty, you can’t go and fuel other equipment. The same holds true for the people working on the farm.
Life in the agricultural sector has always been stressful, but it hasn’t been until recently that statistics were gathered to explore the extent of the situation.
The statistics revealed that approximately 57 per cent of farmers live with anxiety, around 35 per cent live with depression, and around 76 per cent have moderate to high levels of perceived stress.
“We know the last few years going through drought, COVID-19, (and) a variety of (other) challenges that that stress is likely higher,” Kelly advised.
Statistics also reveal that farmers are three to five times more likely to die by suicide, compared to the rest of the population.
It was through knowledge of facts such as these, along with her own experiences, that led Kelly to co-found the Do More Agriculture Foundation.
“When we started to talk more about our challenges, we heard others going through the same thing and feeling those same feelings, not knowing where to go, and not feeling like they could help out.”
She started the foundation “with the hope and the goal of championing the mental well-being of all of our farmers and (to) build and bring resources to our rural communities.”
Kelly said the best way forward is to recognize the signs of stress and to find ways to change the dialogue concerning mental health issues on the farm.
The key is to approach them respectfully, demonstrate that you understand, and ask what you can do to help right now. The analogy she used for this is planting seeds which will later germinate at a time that could save a life.
“Our goal through Do More (Ag) and (sharing this myself) is to help and inspire and give hope to other farmers that it’s okay to reach out, and that there are resources out there and that there are people in your corner.”
Kelly is a marketer and entrepreneur by trade and has been farming since she was young. She was part of Bell Let’s Talk, where she helped raise over $149 million to support Canadian mental health initiatives. She’s also the co-host of “What the Farm,” the director for Saskatchewan Wheat, and when not in the field, you can find her running the community hockey rink with her two sons.
To learn about the Do More Agriculture Foundation, visit DoMore.ag.
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