How Are You Feeling?
To help you answer this question, Farm Credit Canada developed a free mental health self-assessment tool that can be accessed online. This user-friendly matrix tool enables you to assess your health situation by exploring the way you feel on a daily basis.
Here are some questions you can use to guide your reflection: How often do you suffer from physical ailments or pain? Do you feel anxious, angry or discouraged? Are you sometimes unable to leave your bed? Do you isolate yourself socially?
By reading through the matrix, you can determine if you are in a healthy mental state or rather burned out, perhaps even ill. You can use this tool without leaving any digital trace—simply keep your reflections in your mind or talk to a loved one, as you prefer.
Caring for Yourself and Your Business
No matter the circumstances, remember that self-care is a gentle way to protect your business and help it build wealth over time. Entrepreneurs who value their health and happiness create the right conditions for their business to thrive, thus giving themselves the best odds to succeed.
Understandably, self-care will not look the same in the farming community when compared to the rest of society. But we have to dispel the myth that a good farming entrepreneur must constantly prioritize his or her business over personal wellness.
If you need help, it’s essential that you seek it out.
To contact a farm outreach worker from Monday to Friday, between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m.: 450-768-6995 Info-Social help line (health system support workers): 811, option 2 Suicide hotline: 1-866-277-3553 If you have suicidal thoughts, call 911 immediately and ask for help.