33 ONTARIO GRAIN FARMER DECEMBER 2024/JANUARY 2025 training in agricultural literacy so they can better support the farming community. RESOURCES Farm Credit Canada offers a Wellness SelfCheck Tool www.fcc-fac.ca/en/documents/ wellness-assessment-tool. Three Oaks Respite Cabin in Shetland, Ontario, is a place where farmers can rejuvenate and be intentional about their wellness strategies: www.threeoakscabin.com. Grain Farmers of Ontario’s Farmer Wellness page: www.gfo.ca/farmerwellness. In Ontario, the Farmer Wellness Initiative provides free, unlimited mental health counselling for the farming community. Go to www.farmerwellnessinitiative.ca for more info. If you or someone you know is in crisis, call 911 or visit your local emergency room. • Just as you plan for your crops, Vanberkel recommends having a plan for what helps you recover after the “go-go-go” of the harvest season. it can seem like a lofty ideal, she says we need to speak kindly to ourselves and remind ourselves that we are precious and deserve to be treated with care and concern. SETTING GOALS Winter is also a good time to set goals for yourself, your business or your family continues Van Ewyk. She explains that people who don’t have a vision for their lives often struggle with feeling like they aren’t reaching their full potential. After reflecting on what’s going well, what’s not going well, and what areas need some attention, she recommends developing goals with actionable steps. She suggests focusing on one of the five areas — health/wellness, financial, work/education, faith, and relationships — at a time. Mental health is on a continuum, and although it’s not the whole picture, sometimes making small changes in your behaviour can make a difference, says Waterloo, Ontario registered social worker, Chad Bouma. “Going for a walk around the barn first thing in the morning could feel almost like a meditation. If you are going to be in the cab for 16 hours, do you have music that you enjoy? Or a podcast that you can listen to? Changes don’t have to be dramatic to affect some positive change.” If you’ve been putting off looking after your physical health because you were too busy, you should make an appointment to see your doctor, continues Vanberkel, adding that physical and mental health are connected. “There could be a physical reason for your low energy and fatigue, for example.” Vanberkel, who is also head of programming for the Canadian Centre for Agricultural Wellbeing, which conducts research to develop evidence-based programming, says farmers can learn more about mental health by checking out resources online or participating in a workshop to help them develop strategies that are going to work for them. She notes that each person is unique, so solutions need to be specific. “It’s hard to give quick tips because it needs to be individualized. If you are having trouble sleeping, for example, what’s going on that’s causing the sleep disturbances?” Sometimes, it can be hard to put what you are feeling into words, acknowledges Taylor. “Is it frustration? Restlessness? Is it hard to focus?” Talking to someone you trust can be helpful and if you are open to counselling, a counsellor can help you come up with coping strategies. If farmers feel they are not coping well, it could be an indication it’s time to seek professional support, says Bouma. Fortunately, counsellors have become more accessible as many work virtually or by phone and more counsellors are receiving
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