Farmers and farm workers will often feel tension in their muscles, whether it’s from physical exertion, stress, or even changes in the weather — and treatment of tension can start simple at home.
Tag Archives stress
Simple ways to relieve tension
Fit to Farm: Expectations of stress tee up the body’s tension response — which then sometimes sticks around longer than we need
When pain literally gets on your nerves
Fit to Farm: This kind of pain gets around within the body, so just treating the local area won’t solve the problem
All pain links back to our nerves, but our nerves themselves can also become irritated due to inflammation, immune system activation, physical or emotional trauma and/or fatigue.
Try these techniques to help manage stress symptoms
Fit to Farm: It can be as simple as connecting your awareness in the moment to the literal ground underfoot
Think of your nervous system as a complex biological electrical circuit — one that benefits from being grounded.
In the present tense
Fit to Farm: Stretching isn’t necessarily the answer for tight muscles
Tension is a precursor to conditions such as anxiety, pain, sleep issues and many other health complaints — and is an important early symptom to acknowledge and for which to seek support.
Make moves against anxiety
Fit to Farm: The nervous energy our bodies generate needs to go somewhere
Anxiety is something all of us experience, to varying degrees, at some point or another. It can come with many different symptoms. Some of us tend to experience anxiety in our minds; some experience it more in their chests and cardiovascular systems; others experience it in the digestive system. Some lucky individuals experience all of […] Read more
Find paths out of distress, depression, disconnection
What keeps you centred and grounded? Observe and pay attention at those times
Patricia Morgan is a dynamic force for change and my good friend. She’s authored a new award-winning book, Return to Center: Simple Strategies to Navigate Distress, Depression and Disconnection. As farm families brace for or embrace the winter season, I thought we all should be reminded of good practical tools to be emotionally strong and […] Read more
Easing the strain of sitting
Fit to Farm: Joints in the spine can get compressed when you have to sit for long periods
A common complaint that comes along with the farm lifestyle and career is back pain. Non-specific low back pain — meaning the pain has begun with no clear incidence and doesn’t have one clear cause — makes up over 80 per cent of back pain complaints. In my line of work, often it isn’t as […] Read more
Know your physical and emotional limits for a safer, more productive farm
It’s often said that farmers will stop at nothing to get the work done. But the long days, strenuous manual labour and constant challenges that come with farming can easily take a physical and mental toll. That’s why it’s crucial for farmers to be aware of their limitations. Ignoring limitations can heighten the risk of […] Read more
Movements for healthy shoulders
Proper breathing mechanics and exercise help keep the upper spine loose
Farmers often come to me complaining of pain and fatigue between the shoulder blades. This is an especially important area for humans as the shoulders are the core of our arms, in a sense. It’s not surprising that they are a common area of complaint, just as the low back is a common area of […] Read more
Curb risk from moisture stress for less
A Manitoba agronomist offers up some tips for farmers on a budget
With swings between wet and dry extremes in recent years, Prairie farmers have seen more water stress problems in their fields. Not only do they make crops less productive, but they can also crank up the stress levels for farmers. “Historically, our two main risks in crop production long term have been excess moisture and […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
