Mind Your Head campaign spotlights farmers' mental health
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A CAMPAIGN aiming to help farmers tackle mental health problems has got under way today (Monday).
The fifth Mind Your Head Campaign will run until Friday and will be seeking to illustrate actions being taken to break down mental health barriers in farming. The industry continues to have the poorest safety record of any occupation in the UK.
It is being run by farm safety charity, the Farm Safety Foundation, also known as Yellow Wellies.
A recent study by the Foundation revealed that mental health issues among farmers and agricultural workers are of growing concern and are having a direct impact on safety on farms. With 92 per cent of farmers under the age of 40 suggesting poor mental health is the biggest hidden problem facing farmers today, an increase from 82 per cent in 2018.
Stephanie Berkeley, Manager of the Farm Safety Foundation said: “As an industry, I think it is time we deal with the issue of poor mental health head on.
"We need to talk about our feelings and let everyone living and working in farming know that it’s completely OK to have feelings, good and bad, but it's also important to let them out.
"Life isn’t always as it seems, we don’t post on social media about the days that we wished we didn’t get out of bed or the days we didn’t feel like it. Most people feel the pressure to keep up with everyone’s ‘perfect’ life.
"My father always advised me to never judge anyone unless you walked in their shoes; these are words that I live by, as it is important to know what is really going on behind the smile, or even their grumpy demeanour. Many living and working in rural communities are suffering and doing so in silence.
"As an industry, it’s time to ease the pressure, stop expecting people to be perfect and start talking openly about feelings with people you trust.”
For more information on the Mind Your Head campaign or to learn more about how the Farm Safety Foundation is tackling the issue of poor mental health in the agricultural industry please visit www.yellowwellies.org or follow them on social media - @yellowwelliesUK on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube using the hashtag #MindYourHead
