{"id":26669,"date":"2025-11-10T14:39:00","date_gmt":"2025-11-10T22:39:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/extension.wsu.edu\/skagit\/?page_id=26669"},"modified":"2026-02-26T10:20:29","modified_gmt":"2026-02-26T18:20:29","slug":"farm-stress-management","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/extension.wsu.edu\/skagit\/farm-stress-management\/","title":{"rendered":"Farm Stress Management"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Stress Management for
Rural Communities<\/h1>\t\t\t\t
Agriculture Can Be Stressful- You\u2019re Not Alone<\/strong><\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
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WSU Extension<\/span><\/a><\/span> > Skagit County<\/span><\/a><\/span> > News<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\r\n\n<\/div>\n\n
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Learning to control events, attitudes and responses<\/h1>\n\n\n\n

Working in agriculture is accompanied by managing a variety of stresses on a regular basis. Learning to control events, attitudes and responses day in and day out will help you manage those hectic, stressful times.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perhaps you have noticed that some farmers, ranchers, dairy farmers, or farm workers struggle under the pressures of events that you find easy to handle. Or perhaps you have wondered how other agriculture workers can go on in spite of the stress load they carry. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why is it that some agriculture workers can handle lots of stress and others very little? Researchers who have examined differences between successful and unsuccessful stress managers have identified three key factors. First, individuals vary in their capacity to tolerate stress. For example, prolonged exertion and fatigue that would be only mildly stressful to a young agriculture worker may prove very difficult for an older agriculture workers or someone with a heart defect. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Emergencies on the farm, delays and other problems that a confident agriculture worker takes in stride may be a stumbling block for one who feels inadequate. While part of an individual\u2019s stress tolerance is inborn, a crucial part depends on the quality of coping skills practiced. Learning to cope successfully with a stressor once makes it easier the next time. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A second factor is feeling in control. Successful stress managers know how to accept those stressors out of their control \u2013 the weather, their height, stock market fluctuations \u2013 and how to effectively manage those stresses within their control \u2013 such as neck tension, temper flare-ups or record keeping. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Finally, the attitudes, perceptions, and meanings that people assign to events determine a large part of their stress levels. A person has to perceive a situation as stressful or threatening in order to experience stress. If you think your dog is barking in the middle of the night because of a vandal, you will experience more stress than if you suspect a skunk has wandered into your yard. Stress can be defined as energy in a blocked or chaotic state.
Individuals should seek to develop calm, free-flowing energy that promotes harmony and balance in a person\u2019s body, psyche and soul.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\r\n\n\n

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