As an industry we often talk about the importance of time away from the farm to give us both a physical and mental break from the never ending pressures we face every day.
I am a massive advocate of making sure I try my best to find ways to give myself time away.
So, of course, given my attitude and outlook on this I booked a trip to Cornwall to get my hit of salty sea air, sandy feet and a never ending supply of scones with jam and cream.
Let’s just say it made for a chaotic June.
I felt I was constantly chasing my tail as I juggled life frantically up in the air, trying not to drop a ball until I could safely place them all down and walk away.
I was continuing my raging war with thistles, injecting lambs, dosing lambs, shearing our flock, helping others shear their flocks, filming bits of TV, moving building blocks for our house, doing electric fencing, finalising wedding plans, training dogs, more thistle wars – the list really does go on.
It got to the day before we were due to leave and I found myself with a rare quiet moment for reflection, and I thought to myself: “Hell fire, I’m exhausted already. I need a holiday just from getting ready for my holiday!”
Our farms are our home, our business and our livelihood. It means that preparation just to leave the farm for a break is an absolute mission in itself.
When most people can submit annual leave and sign their emails with “out of the office”, close the door, switch off and walk away, for us as farmers that doesn’t even scratch the surface with the amount of preparation we have to do.
From finding someone we trust to run the farm to making sure the animals are happy and healthy, to creating a log of emergency numbers as long as the Yellow Pages, the list of preparations really does go on.
However, one thing we don’t often talk about is the anxiety and guilt farmers feel in the run-up to a break away from home which also causes exhaustion in its own way.
We are bound to our land, animals and crops in a way which is hard to explain to anyone who isn’t part of this industry.
We feel such a strong sense of responsibility and we carry a burden so heavy that we often feel guilty putting it on to someone else’s shoulders, yet we allow ourselves to carry it each and every day. We live under a stereotype that we work every hour god sends, and then worry that we are judged if we take time for ourselves.
I went through all these preparations and emotions just two weeks ago and found myself actually saying out loud that: “It would be easier to just stay here” – a trap that is far too easy to fall into.
Yes, it was a mission just to leave the farm and yes, there was a sense of guilt, but the time away was invaluable.
It was precious time that let me recharge, gain perspective, boost my energy levels and reflect.
Don’t let the worry and stresses of preparing for a holiday discourage you. I promise you, we all need to do this more than you think.
