By Lesley Kelly, Farmer and Co-Founder of the Do More Agriculture Foundation Sometimes, life can be tough. And when life’s tough, things can get overwhelming and make it hard to manage your feelings. But you don’t have to go it alone. Reaching out for help isn’t easy....

By Lesley Kelly, Farmer and Cofounder of the Do More Agriculture Foundation Mental health challenges in farming communities are unique, shaped by isolation, unpredictability, and the physical demands of rural life. Whether it’s the stress of weather, market...

Gratitude can be a powerful tool for resilience in the face of uncertainty and stressful situations. Uncertainty, fear, isolation, and weather and economic factors on the farm are some examples that can have a significant strain on our mental health. Meanwhile, the...

Wet shoes, cold hands, fogged-up glasses, freezing temperatures, wind chills and dark days. You may find as the temperature drops with shortened days during the winter, so does our mood. Canadian winters are tough and can bring extra challenges for farmers and those...

Do Mental Health, Mental Illness and Mental Wellness Mean the Same Thing? The difference between mental health and mental illness can be confusing. Everyone has mental health, just like everyone has health. As the World Health Organization famously says, “There is no...

Why Can't You “Just Get Over” a Mental Health Condition? “Can’t you stop being so lazy?” “Why don’t you quit worrying?” “Just be happy already.” “Change your thinking.” “Can’t you just get over it?” When you or someone you know suffers from a mental health injury or...

Setting and Maintaining Boundaries for Your Mental Health Our personal boundaries aren’t as obvious as some of the boundaries we have on the farm, like a tree line protecting the farm from the wind, a fence keeping livestock in, or a “no trespassing” sign at an...