Guest Blog

It is crucial to take time for yourself; however, working on a farm can make it very difficult to physically “get away.” One easy way to escape is by listening to podcasts. Whether you have 12 or 58 minutes, there is a podcast out there that can lift your spirits.

Those who know me well know that I’ve dealt with mental illness in some form since childhood. After surviving an abusive parent and a very traumatic divorce, I remember having my first panic attack in fourth grade and going on medication for anxiety and depression on and off throughout middle and high school.

I have to have a plan. I am constantly asking my husband, “What is the plan?” It drives him absolutely insane. It’s just how I am. I need to know what the day will look like, be able to glance at the week ahead and know what is coming up next month.

In June 2017, we embarked on what was going to be a roller-coaster ride for the next 16 months. It was that summer our dairy equipment company representative took the family on our first tour of robotic milking barns. We had started on the journey to modernize our dairy. As we went through the planning and construction, we learned many things. I want to share with you some of the things that we learned.

Resolutions, goals, words to live by – whatever you call it, it’s the same concept. You’re starting the year off by promising yourself and anyone who saw your Facebook post that you’ll be better than last year.

As farmers, sometimes we think that we can power through without help. We work when we’re hurt; we work when we’re sick; sometimes, we even work when we’re in labor with our fourth child. But we need to know that asking for help doesn’t make us weak. In fact, it’s just the opposite. Like getting a cast on our arm to heal a break, seeing a mental health professional can get us on the road to healing. As my mother-in-law recently told me, “We can’t always be superman.” Don’t let mental health be your kryptonite.