Friday, March 29, 2024

Make time for mental health

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Helmet? Check. Hi-vis? Check. Good night’s sleep…?
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It’s easy for the necessities to be overlooked when assessing health and safety. Lack of sleep, lack of quality food and stress can all lead to burnout in the workplace, something that all dairy farmers need to be aware of. Early starts, high workloads and working in all weather conditions can take its toll, but there are things we can do to manage it.

Not only can safety be improved, productivity can also be lifted through managing burnout. An energised, motivated team is much more able to pay attention to detail. Fewer gates left down, more ragwort pulled – these things can have a real effect on the bottom line.

Stress and burnout can take their biggest toll on the leadership on a farm. Not only are the leaders, such as owners and managers, exposed to more stress, they set the tone for the whole operation. When the vision and strategy go out the window because of excessive stress, the whole business suffers.

The industry has taken a lot of steps in recent times to address mental health as an area that can be better managed, though it is far too early to be sitting on our laurels on this one.

Dr Steve Smith, a GP and sports doctor from New Plymouth, is active in the area of rural mental health and has some advice for farmers to help prevent and cope with burnout.

Stress

“Stress in itself isn’t a bad thing, it makes us perform to our potential,” Smith says.

“It becomes a problem when it starts reducing how well we perform. When it becomes too severe you can lose the ability to live in the moment and start living crisis to crisis.”

When you get over-stressed, it genuinely affects the way your brain works.

“When you get to crisis mode, you can get the full physical effect of the fight or flight response.”

Fight or flight is a response that kept humans alive during hunter-gatherer times, though is still strongly represented in modern humans.

“You get a dose of adrenaline released in your body. Other stress hormones are cortisol and noradrenalin. These increase your heart rate and your muscles become tense in preparation for needing to run or fight. This can occur even when the threat is not a physical one.”

A severe response to stress hormones can trigger hyperventilation and even asthma attacks. “Hyperventilation itself can trigger panic attacks, you can get a sensation change in your hands, feet and lips and develop muscle cramps. In severe cases you can even pass out.”

When stress reaches levels where these effects are being observed, it is important to address the issue. It is unlikely that the symptoms will naturally resolve themselves without either removal of the stressors or changes in the ways you deal with stress. Even if they do, it is likely that such symptoms would resurface.

Stress can have long-term effects on the body, including changes in appetite (up or down). It affects sleep patterns, sex drive and can increase your risk of a heart attack.

Burnout

Burnout is not the same as stress.

“Burnout is closely related to depression, some would suggest it is the same,” Smith says. “Signs and symptoms are the same, so you could think of it as a continuum.”

“When you are burnt out you feel tired, you get very cynical about what you are doing and lose the ability to do your job. Your brain loses the ability to function well, your memory and attention span can both decrease.

“Burnout can result from a mismatch in a person’s ability to the job they are doing, which could be due to circumstances outside their control, like weather, dairy payout or natural disasters. It can also result from sheer work overload.”

When these circumstances arise, people can feel a loss of control that leads to them disengaging from what they are doing.

“A big contributor can be when the work you are doing focuses more on economic rather than human values. An example would be a focus on the production and payout on a farm rather than peoples’ health and wellbeing.”

What to do if burnout strikes

If you feel as though you are getting burnt out, find someone to talk to about it. Friends, family, your GP, the Rural Support Trust or other organisations are a good place to start.

Set yourself a gentle start to the day – it will help get into a rhythm to get done what is needed. Making a plan for the day will help you cope with anything the day throws at you. Make time to sleep so you can sleep well, and follow a healthy diet and exercise plan.

“Set some boundaries,” Smith says.

“Make sure you take breaks during the day but also on weekends and holidays.”

Realise what your limitations are and work within them. Smith says “it is easy to be too critical on what you do, don’t knock yourself”.

Finally, don’t be afraid to make changes. If you are able to do something that can reduce the stress in your life then strong consideration must be given to doing so. Burnout can take a huge toll personally and on a business, which must be weighted heavily on any decision towards change.

Stay social

Smith emphasises the importance of social interaction on dealing with burnout.

“Make sure you have an interest outside your job.”

Social sports and volunteering are two examples of activities that can help.

“These give you a break from the job but often there is a lot of social support.”

Having a social group is beneficial to alleviating burnout.

Regular meetings take you away from your work and home stresses on a fixed basis. Sometimes this can be something to look forward to while you’re working, other times it merely ensures that you take a break. A more casual activity is too easy to put off and you can find yourself not taking a break.

Having a group of people separate to work and home gives you an opportunity to talk to people and get issues off your chest. This doesn’t mean that you turn up every week for a vent session, but letting people know you are having a bad time will help and you can get encouragement and also some handy tips.

Lastly, the value of participating in a group can be very cathartic. A game of squash or cricket, aside from releasing endorphins from the exercise, can help to refresh the brain and reset to a better emotional state. You will return home feeling more energised and positive about your work.

One of the most powerful tools the industry has for dealing with stress and burnout is keeping an eye out for our neighbours. It is easiest to deal with before it gets out of control, and when people start to get burnt out they withdraw, reluctant to seek help.

If a community of people is attuned to the signs and are willing to help, a lot of the damage caused by mental illness can be avoided.

Top tips for managing stress and burnout

Eat well – Ensure that your diet is balanced with quality protein, carbohydrates and fats. Obtain adequate vitamins and minerals by eating a range of fruits and vegetables. Have water and snacks, such as muesli bars available to keep energy levels up.

Sleep well – Ensure that you sleep somewhere comfortable, to aid in relieving aches. Do not take your work to bed with you and try not to lie in bed while on the phone, computer or watching TV. Arrange to have some sleep-in mornings or extended breaks during the day if you are feeling fatigued.

Manage stress – Write down daily, weekly and monthly plans to organise workloads.

Find a hobby that you can do to relax a couple of times a week, preferably something without specific time commitments. Don’t be afraid to use extra staff or contractors to ease the workload. Let people know if you have a concern about something.

Smith’s indicators of burnout:

• You wake up in the morning and don’t want to go to work
• You lose interest in things that you usually enjoy doing.
• Everything seems to take more of an effort.
• It becomes more difficult to make decisions.
• You start making silly mistakes.
• You procrastinate more, putting things off.
• You question yourself and lose confidence in the decisions you make.
• You stop keeping up with new developments.
• You stop caring.
• You feel exhausted and emotionally drained.
• You sigh a lot, to the point that people notice.
• You feel like a failure and all alone.
• You have trouble sleeping.
• You have an increase or decrease in appetite.
• You may turn to food, alcohol or drugs to cope.
• You may isolate yourself.
• You start to avoid responsibility

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