VISITORS TO the Royal Highland Show will be encouraged to look after their physical and mental health as nurses take blood pressure at the RSABI stand. They will also be encouraging people to Keep Talking. Initiatives Encourage Good Mental Health For Farmers.
Stress Bucket
A stress bucket is a helpful concept to explain how people cope with stress. It is important to be mindful of the coping strategies we have in place as well as how full our stress buckets are. The idea is that each person has a particular capacity to handle stress. As stressors fill the bucket, we need good coping tools to help empty it. If the bucket overflows, we can experience mental illness. Initiatives Encourage Good Mental Health For Farmers.
The Royal Highland Show has teamed up with Bath Mind, the local charity, to bring the concept to life. Pip Galland, chair of trustees and a local HR and employment solicitor, will talk about why managing stress is so important and offer ways to help empty our buckets.
The 2023 RHASS President’s Initiative is exploring the role science plays in farming and food production. For instance, Carnoustie soft fruit grower James Porter will tell how scientific advances such as polytunnels have helped him safeguard the future of his business and extend his soft fruit season.
Blood Pressure Checks
Farmers were often wary of discussing mental health problems, with some using dismissive verbal and body language.
Several farmer support organization respondents reported that individuals would often visit their health hub, and start off with a complaint such as an injured foot or arm, only to later reveal they had been struggling with depression for some time. Often, they did not discuss their mental health concerns with their family doctor, preferring to turn to rural chaplains, friends or colleagues.
Although the hubs mainly target physical illness and injury, they also encourage help-seeking by providing space to talk about emotional distress.
Take a Load Off
As the world’s eyes turn to Edinburgh this week for the Golden Shears shearing & woolhandling championships, RSABI and Lister are teaming up with shearers to offer visitors a chance to take a load off. Lister is providing a dedicated space at the show for shearers to relax, have a trim and chat in a safe environment.
Carnoustie soft fruit grower James Porter is also an ambassador for the campaign, he says: “I’ve seen first-hand how a mental health issue can have a huge impact on people and businesses. It’s so important to keep talking, sharing the load and looking after yourself.
The 2023 Royal Highland Show will celebrate science and how it is helping to safeguard the country’s food and drink supply. The event will showcase farmers and scientists who use innovation to improve production and efficiency on their land. This is a key part of the RHASS President’s Initiative, this year hosted by the Perth area as its honorary ‘host’ region.
Keep Talking
The research found that farmers are often reluctant to seek help, with a lack of work/life balance and the nature of their job being key factors.
Respondents also highlighted the importance of ‘meeting farmers where they are’ in terms of recruitment to programmes, using familiar language and involving local community figures or celebrities needs read more hear.
