Taking Care of Your Mental Health

By Dr John Ashfield, Lower Eyre Health Services

With the changing nature of farming, both farmers and the rural industries that depend on them, have been struggling with a whole new range of pressures and uncertainties. Now drought is adding a further heavy burden. Many rural people are struggling to cope with the stress and emotional strain.

Take early action to avoid being overwhelmed.

If things aren’t going well for you, taking early action makes a whole lot more sense than 'soldiering on' until your mental health takes a turn for the worse, or your relationships break down. The last thing you need, in difficult circumstances, is deterioration in your physical or mental health. It’s vital that you take care of yourself.

High levels of stress should never be ignored.

Prolonged stress should never be ignored because it is often associated with not only the onset of physical illness, but mental illness as well – like depression and anxiety disorder. A high level of stress also tends to take its toll on relationships. Yet it’s in difficult times that we most need our relationships and most need to keep them healthy and strong.

Things you can do:

  • Acknowledge and manage stress. Learn how to relax. Get some help if you need to.
  • Stop, step back from things, and ask yourself: 'What really matters most to me?' Does anything matter as much as your health and relationships?
  • Put time into methodical, structured (rather than random) problem solving.
  • Be prepared to be open, flexible, adventurous and creative in your thinking.
  • 'Rein in' negative patterns of thought. Self-defeating 'self-talk' can make things much worse and can damage your mental health.
  • Get health devoted, not just work related, physical exercise. It’s great for managing stress and keeping your health on an 'even keel'.
  • Pay careful attention to a balanced and healthy diet.
  • Stick to low risk alcohol consumption. 'Burying your sorrows' will only increase your sorrows (two standard drinks for women, four for men).
  • Cut down, or cut out, caffeine - it increases anxiety and stress.
  • Put effort into your relationships and make sure you cultivate quality social support:
  • social isolation, loss of a sense of belonging and loneliness, can have a measurable impact on the body’s immune system and its ability to respond to disease
  • belonging to a supportive social network can add years to your life
  • socially isolated people have from two to five times the risk of dying from all causes compared to those who maintain strong ties to friends, family and the community.
  • Most of us can usually put our emotional experience, and thoughts, into a structure that makes them more manageable. If we lose that structure, talking to someone can help restore it.
  • Much about men’s experience can only be shared with, and understood by, other men. Only men understand the kind of fears that go with the territory of masculinity. Conversation with other men can be a huge help.
  • Don’t ignore symptoms – the danger signs of emerging mental health problems.
  • If you have concerns, talk to a health professional or your GP. If referral to a counsellor, psychologist, or psychiatrist is suggested, ask your GP to refer you.
  • If your doctor strongly recommends that you take medication – don’t be dismissive, it might make a huge difference. Ask for information.
  • If you need help and can’t find it in the public system, seriously consider paying a private practitioner. A small cost might save your life or be a major turning point in your life.

If you, or someone you know, is in real trouble:

  • Speak to a GP immediately
  • Phone the Rural and Remote 24 hour Mental Health Service on 131 465

There is no better investment than the one you make in your own mental health.