Between the harvest, the holidays, and the election, it’s a stressful time of year for farm families, says rural mental health specialist Monica McConkey.
McConkey, one of two state-funded farm counselors in Minnesota, says the agriculture community is even more susceptible to stress and depression due to the weather and crop prices.
“Imagine having a family divided and you still have to come and work together every day on the farm,” she says. “I think even if the family’s on the same page, just the political climate in our country, the stress that’s out there, it’s tangible.”
McConkey adds that since Wisconsin is getting less and less sunlight as winter approaches, it can also spur depression. She advises you to check in on your loved ones and neighbors to make sure everyone is doing alright. McConkey has advice on how and when to get help before you or a loved one goes into crisis mode.
“If something is on your mind a lot… if you’re starting to feel a little frustrated about something, it’s just not resolving, not going away… just call,” she says. “The earlier the better, honestly… if you’re starting to feel like ‘gosh, I just dread getting up in the morning’ or ‘I’m having these thoughts that just won’t quit and I can’t sleep at night,’ the earlier we can catch that, the better.”
