With the arrival of warmer weather, farmers gear up for spring planting season and the pressures that come with it. However, this planting season now carries the weight of added complications, brought on by the coronavirus pandemic.
Farmers dealing with the stress of their occupation is nothing new. Monica Kramer McConkey, a rural mental health specialist, says that farmers are now burdened with extra worries brought on by the ripple effect of COVID-19. “The calls I am getting aren’t necessarily directly tied to the virus, but its more the related effects,” according to McConkey. By this she means, things like children out of school, family members loosing their jobs, or the added isolation.
McConkey goes on to give tips to help combat added stress and dealing with the added anxiety: having a proper diet, a structured sleep schedule, find time to exercise, and creating open forms of communication with friends and family members.
