in these three areas will help you manage the stresses of tough
times.”
Managing stress well, he says, is even more critical than
sound management of crops or livestock. That’s because stress is
critically linked to your physical and emotional health.
“Stress is one of the most significant contributors to both
physical and emotional health concerns in any population,”
says Brotherson. “Stress can contribute to high blood pressure
and heart disease, for instance. It can also lead to anxiety and
behavioral changes that affect families and farm partnerships.
An alarming outcome is that the suicide rate in rural popula-
tions has shown an increase in the last several years.”
Managing stress as a means of preserving physical and emo-
tional health gains top priority when you consider that health
of people is the most important source of wealth on a farm or
ranch.
“When families list resources and assets of their operation,
they typically include tangible assets such as land, equipment,
facilities, and livestock,” says Brotherson. “But the human role
in running an operation is the most important. The health of
the people working on the farm and ranch is the most critical to
the survival of the enterprise.”
That said, managing health becomes the top management
priority of the operation. “Good health management needs to
be among the most important daily priorities in the workings of
a farm or ranch,” he says. “It’s a central component to effective
management of the operation.”
Key to effective stress management is the practice of finding
your loci of control – those areas in your life and work where
you have the ability to control inner responses and to moder-
ate the stressful impacts of physical circumstances within your
setting.
Brotherson offers the following three ways to manage the
stressors you can control.
- Control attitude and mind-set. Attitude and internal orien-
tation toward a stressor can compound or reduce the stress trig-
gered by the external circumstance. “Letting go of the stress can
reduce anxiety,” says Brotherson. “Focus instead on the things
over which you have more immediate control. You might focus
on the things you can accomplish in one day.”
A switch in mind-set is also critical to managing stress. For
August 2019 | Successful Farming at Agriculture.com 17instance, rather
than dwelling
on the seemingly
impossible circum-
stances created by
poor prices, plan
and implement
long-term ways
to become more
financially resil-
ient. “Switch your
mind-set from one
of being inactive
and problem-
focused to a proac-
tive, solutions kind
of mind-set,” he
says.- Control re-
sponses to stress.
The way we respond to
stressful events or circum-
stances can magnify or
diffuse the negative effects of
stress, Brotherson points out.
Drawing upon positive emo-
tional or spiritual wellsprings
within can help. As can prac-
ticing “conscious gratitude”
as a means of counteracting
negative emotional responses
to stressors.
“Write down three things
that you are grateful for
daily,” says Brotherson.
“Conscious gratitude calms
your mood.”
Positive responses to stress
are as unique as individu-
als. Daily exercise, social-
izing with friends or family,
listening to uplifting music,
or watching a sitcom on
TV – all that can help. “You
just need to find the tool that
works for you,” he says. - Control events within
your setting. Brainstorming
and implementing a strategic
plan for your operation can
help reduce the stress trig-
gered by unexpected events.
Plan ahead, for instance,
to match labor availability
to the most labor-intensive
periods.
Or, service and repair
machinery in advance of
its season of heaviest use –
typically the most stressful
seasons. “These practices and
others like them can help
mitigate the coming times of
stress,” says Brotherson.
Meeting with a health care
provider to rule out or treat
underlying physical causes
for symptoms of stress is a
point of control that could
lead to helpful changes in
diet or exercise habits.
“Just remember that good
stress management will
help you accomplish good
farm management,” says
Brotherson.POWER OF WORDS
W
ords used to commu-
nicate with friends,
family members, partners,
and employees go a long way
in magnifying or diffusing
stress. “Healthy, positive
communication patterns are
a powerful resource,” says
Brotherson.
But when unchecked,
emotional responses to stress
can cause these to break
down into unhealthy pat-
terns. “When stress levels are
high, language can some-
times become inflammatory,
accusing, and blaming,” he
says. “This multiplies the
stress – both in the person
who is speaking and in the
person being spoken to.”
Cultivating healthy com-
munication patterns yields
positive results that build
a form of social equity by
fostering a sense of mutual
support.
“When you’re under high
stress and need to talk to
someone, you’re more likely
to find someone who will
speak uplifting words of
encouragement if you have
practiced healthy patterns of
communication,” says
Brotherson.LEARN MORE
Sean Brotherson
701/231-
Email: Sean.Brotherson@
ndsu.edu
Website: http://www.ag.ndsu.edu/
drought/stress-resourcesPhotography: StockSeller_ukr, gettyimages.com