Farm Table Wellbeing Column

Hello, July! Can you believe we’re already halfway through the year? It feels like just yesterday we were welcoming 2024. As we move into this new chapter, many of us are feeling a bit dry, weary, and stressed. The challenges have been immense, from the lack of rain to the ripple effects of the government’s decision to end live exports, and the ever-pressing cost of living.

It’s no wonder many of us are limping into the new financial year.

I understand the weight of these challenges, and I’ve also had to acknowledge that as I’ve gotten older that I’ve found some challenges easier to carry, and some much harder. Ignoring the challenges is sometimes the solution, acknowledging  and seeking support with challenges is sometimes also the best-fit to navigate them.

Each month, I’m here to remind you to prioritise your wellbeing—your health, happiness, and relationships. It’s essential to check in with your support network, including your tribe, your GP, and your mentor. Ask yourself how you’re truly feeling and be honest with your answer. This honesty allows you to weave in the necessary support, services, fun, kindness, inspiration, and grit that you need to carry the good, bad and ugly of farming, business, life and the ‘blur’ in-between.

As we embrace the second half of this year, I’ve had to give myself a little pep talk, too. Reconciling my business and life goals for 2024 has been bumpy, and I’ve had to push some of my business timeframes out, which my personality hates, and the build and scale of business has also come with a tonne of ‘life’ happening.  I’ve chosen ‘preparation’ and ‘acceleration’ as my guiding themes for the new financial year, unpacking these words and how I can apply extra layers of preparation and acceleration has me feeling a little more in control of the elements I can control, and a little more comfortable with those that I can’t control.

Planning is crucial—without it, we risk failure. I love the saying ‘fail to plan and you’re planning to fail’, so I spend a lot of time mapping, scheduling, and organising. Planning activities act as ‘anchors’, keeping me grounded and focused. As a fourth-generation farmer, I know there are things I must accept, grow around, and sometimes grieve and clear goals in business, life, and the ‘blur’ in between help me concentrate on what truly matters. Here are a few tips that help me stay on track:

• Action Plans: I rely on daily, weekly, and monthly plans using a Collins Diary, my phone calendar, and the Monday.com app,
• Wise Resource Allocation: Recognising that I can’t be everywhere or do everything, I allocate my time and resources wisely, understanding my current season and next steps, and that I can’t be all things to all people, and
• Prioritise Relationships: Good communication and understanding of personalities, love languages, and goals within my family and team are invaluable.

Take care and remember we all in this together and taking steps ‘little-by-little’ to prioritise our wellbeing as we navigate through this year.

Now, it’s time for me to make a GP appointment and get my blood tests done to understand why I’ve been feeling a bit flat.