Link to our replay of the live webinar held on February 22, 2023.

Have you ever had to speak in public and felt really nervous about that? Your palms were sweaty, your heart was racing, and you had butterflies in your stomach. But once you finished speaking and sat down, you calmed down and started feeling like yourself again. Feeling nervous like this is perfectly normal and very common. But imagine if that feeling of nervousness and impending doom stuck with you all day?

Depression is a severe mood disorder that affects nearly 34% of Canadian farmers. While we often think that it’s just about feeling unhappy and hopeless, depression might also manifest itself in angry outbursts, taking unnecessary risks, and drinking more than usual.

From sun up to sun down, a farmer’s life is busy doing this and that and going here and there. Unlike someone with a 9 to 5 job, a farmer can’t easily hang their hat at the end of the day because farming is a lifestyle, and your family might also be your employees.

Our bodies are hard-wired to deal with stress so that we can protect ourselves from predators. Even though most of us don’t face these types of threats anymore, that doesn’t mean our life is free of stress. Quite the opposite! We face many daily demands, such as having heavy workloads, paying bills, fixing equipment, and caring for our family. When we interpret these hassles as threats, we’re on high alert, under pressure, and irritable.

Whether you’re thinking of talking to a therapist or you’ve already booked your appointment, thinking about your first session might be nerve-wracking for some. You might go back and forth on whether even to go. Many people schedule, cancel and then reschedule that first appointment.

Going to therapy for the first time can feel overwhelming in many ways, but there are a few steps you can take to help make the process a little easier.

There are a lot of misguided notions about what happens in therapy and how a therapist can help you. Sometimes we get these ideas from popular television shows (remember Fraser!) or movies. Unfortunately, these ideas are often incorrect and can even prevent people from getting help.

A resource with ways to start the conversation with farmers around their mental health.