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Rural Agribusiness Wellbeing Plan

Introduction

Think of your mental health like a tractor – when well maintained and serviced regularly it can make it through day-to-day as well as the toughest harvest. However, when it’s worked too hard and not looked after, it won’t run as well as it should. When you work too hard and don’t look after yourself, you can also become burnt out, and find it tough to manage everyday duties, both at home and work.

Just as a tractor needs all its components like the engine, transmission, hydraulics and attachments in good working order to run effectively, you too need your physical, mental and social health to perform at your best.

The purpose of this wellbeing plan is to get you thinking about what you currently do to support your mental health and what you could do to help improve it. When you finish the plan, you will have a list of actions to improve your overall wellbeing, as well as actions to manage specific work factors that might be stressful to you. A wellbeing plan can help you maintain your mental health and manage the day-to-day stress of your work, as well as challenging times like your busy seasons or adverse events like droughts, bushfires or floods.

Let’s start by looking at what you like about your work

Below are some of the positive and rewarding parts of working in agribusiness identified by others working in the industry – what are yours?

Let’s identify what you’re currently doing to look after yourself outside of work

Now let’s take a look at what stress looks like for you

Understanding this will help you know when it’s time to do something for your wellbeing. Stress can show up in our thoughts, body and actions, and too much stress can cause us to feel burnt out and overwhelmed.

How does stress show up in your thoughts?
How does stress show up in your body?
How does stress show up in your actions?
Stressful times

It’s important to think about the times where you might be more stressed than usual so you can be better prepared to manage them. This could include things like harvest time, summer, tax time or school holidays. What are some stressful events in your year and roughly when do they start?

Event Rough start date of this period (e.g. dd/mm)
Contact me with helpful support information for these events

To support you through these stressful times, would you like us to send you some helpful information beforehand to ensure you are better prepared to manage?

Useful links

What would you like to focus on?

Pick one or two of your top priorities to focus on throughout your wellbeing plan. Based on your chosen focus areas you will be given information and actions to help you reduce your stress.

We recommend choosing your top two areas so you are not taking on too much at once. When you are ready, you can create a new wellbeing plan and select additional focus areas.

Focus areas *

Some actions related to your top priorities are presented over the next few pages. For each action, you can select the things you are currently doing, would like to do and do not want to do. There is space to add your own ideas and actions, to make sure your wellbeing plan includes things that suit you.

Preparing for disasters

Being prepared for events such as fires, floods, droughts, or pest and disease outbreaks will help you better manage and keep your stress levels down during their occurrence. While these events are something many of us don’t want to think about, being mentally prepared for these events now will save you a lot of stress and pressured decision making if they do occur.

Hint: select just one or two actions here to ensure your wellbeing plan is easy to action.

Preparing for disasters
 Doing
Identify the types of disasters most likely to affect my business and what their impact could be
Create a plan to manage the common impacts of disasters e.g. if 50% of my crop is destroyed, or if the water supply for livestock dries up
Prepare home and farm for emergencies e.g. clean gutters, pack an emergency kit, purchase sand bags

Useful links

Keeping on top of finances

Finances, cash flow and debt can be a massive cause of stress, particularly when your business is your livelihood and source of income. One way to reduce financial stress is to ensure you are doing everything you can to organise and manage your finances.

Hint: select just one or two actions here to ensure your wellbeing plan is easy to action.

Keeping on top of finances
 Doing
Explore short- and long-term ways to reduce costs e.g. reduce power costs with renewable energy, look into refinancing and consolidating debt, get new quotes on insurances
Set up and maintain good financial record keeping e.g. use accounting software
Chat with a financial advisor about my options (e.g. National Debt Helpline) or explore grant opportunities (e.g. grants and programs finder)

Useful links

Navigating red tape

Red tape can be a pain to any small business owner, causing additional paperwork and delays, and leading to frustration, stress and lack of motivation. While we can’t change the rules, being well prepared is one of the best ways to minimise the stress associated with navigating red tape.

Hint: select just one or two actions here to ensure your wellbeing plan is easy to action.

Navigating red tape
 Doing
Regularly update business records e.g. employee records, procedural changes in farm activities, registration renewal dates
Look up rules and regulations in advance of decision making e.g. short-term labour approaching harvest time
Seek advice and support as needed for business decisions e.g. through local business advisory services

Useful links

Improving work-life balance

Maintaining a balance between work and home can be difficult, particularly if you live and work in the same place. Making a conscious effort to spend more time away from work can be helpful.

Hint: select just one or two actions here to ensure your wellbeing plan is easy to action.

Improving work-life balance
 Doing
Finish work by a particular time a few days a week e.g. I’ll finish by 3pm on Tuesday and Thursday
Outsource some business elements e.g. bookkeeping, equipment maintenance
Plan and schedule business and personal activities in advance e.g. holidays during off season

Useful links

Taking time off

Taking time off from work can be a small break for leisure and holidays, or can be an unexpected absence due to events like illness, floods or bushfires. Planning for how you will take time off now will make it easier when the time comes.

Hint: select just one or two actions here to ensure your wellbeing plan is easy to action.

Taking time off
 Doing
Develop a manual for running the business and regularly update it e.g. daily tasks to be completed
Identify friends, family, or others who would be able to run the business e.g. the farmhand could take on additional duties
Create a plan for what to do if part or all of your business is unable to function e.g. pest or disease outbreak prevents harvest

Useful links

Keeping connected

Making time for friends and family has been identified as the best way to manage wellbeing by agribusiness owners. It can help you talk things through, gain perspective on issues, or take your mind off your worries. Isolation can be a real issue for people living in rural areas, so connecting with others is important to help manage the effects of stress.

Hint: select just one or two actions here to ensure your wellbeing plan is easy to action.

Keeping connected
 Doing
Attend group and community activities e.g. sports team, volunteering, fundraisers
Schedule a regular in-person catch-up with friends or family e.g. set aside one evening a fortnight for social activities
Spend quality time with the people in my household e.g. weekly games night, monthly picnic

Useful links

Making time for myself

Making time for the things you enjoy doing will help you relax and recharge. When thinking about your interests, think of things that aren’t related to the work you do.

Hint: select just one or two actions here to ensure your wellbeing plan is easy to action.

Making time for myself
 Doing
Schedule regular time to do things I enjoy e.g. monthly fishing trip or 4WD, weekly bike ride
Develop a routine for unwinding at the end of each day to help you switch off e.g. shower, TV, reading, eating dinner
Take some time to explore things that relax me or bring me joy e.g. trying new hobbies

Useful links

Exercising and physical activity

Working in agriculture can be physically demanding, but a physical job doesn’t always give you the same benefits as high intensity, short duration periods of activity, including the benefits to your mood. Depending on the type of work you do, you may spend more time operating machinery or overseeing farm workers than doing manual labour, so increasing your physical activity may still be a great addition for your overall wellbeing.

Hint: select just one or two actions here to ensure your wellbeing plan is easy to action.

Exercising and physical activity
 Doing
Set a realistic exercise schedule e.g. start exercising for 20 minutes twice a week
Schedule social exercise e.g. walking with a friend or team sports
Try new things to see what exercises I enjoy e.g. Yoga, boxing, weight lifting, running

Useful links

Keeping healthy

Our physical health has a big impact on our stress levels and mental health. Increasing some healthy habits will also help improve your wellbeing.

Hint: select just one or two actions here to ensure your wellbeing plan is easy to action.

Keeping healthy
 Doing
Eat enough fruit and vegetables e.g. two serves of fruit and five serves of vegetables a day
Drink more water e.g. drink two litres a day
Cut back on alcohol consumption e.g. reduce by three standard drinks a week

Useful links

Getting a good night’s sleep

Getting enough quality sleep is important for your mood and how productive you are throughout the day. It will also help you with problem solving and better management of stressful situations. Think about how well you perform when you’re tired versus well rested.

Hint: select just one or two actions here to ensure your wellbeing plan is easy to action.

Getting a good night’s sleep
 Doing
Set a sleep schedule e.g. establish regular sleep and wake times
Avoid unhelpful sleep behaviours e.g. screen time for half an hour before bed, coffee after 3pm
Maintain a regular bedtime routine e.g. have a cup of tea and read for 20 minutes before sleep

Useful links

Follow-up frequencies

Please select how often you would like to do each of the activities you have selected. Some recommended frequencies have been selected, but you can change these to be more or less often, depending on your preferences.

ActivityDoing?How Often?

Rural Agribusiness Wellbeing Plan

A wellbeing plan can help you manage the unique stress that comes with being a small business owner in the agriculture, forestry and fishing industry in rural Australia.

It is a simple and practical way to get you thinking about what you are doing to support your mental health and what you could do to help improve it.

This plan was developed based on feedback from rural agribusiness owners across NSW. Learn more about how it was developed.