Are you like me and hoping that 2022 is behind us forever? Goodbye pandemic (and everything that DIDN’T come with those few years), weird spring, health and market bumps, family fractures, community challenges and ____________ (insert your 2022 list here). Was it just me, or was 2022 a little bit wobbly? Speaking of wobbles, let’s not talk about fluctuating market sales, debt, weather, and the blur and burden of business, finances, farm, and family. And lets definitely not talk about the compounding pressure that these things have on health and wellbeing.

Or shall we talk about it? The ‘w’ word. Wellbeing.

Wellbeing’ refers to our ‘health, happiness, and relationships’. What I have learned through some of the hardest and most painful times, is that nurturing these things is so important and that in different seasons it looks different. Sometimes this includes getting professional help and medication. Unfortunately, sooner or later, the hard and horrific seasons and moments of life come to us all, and they are so much more difficult when we don’t look after our wellbeing. Our ‘physical health, happiness and relationships’ underpin and enhances every moment and season, as well as our quality of life during the average seasons.

As a fourth-generation farmer currently working off-farm in AusAg, I have seen the impact of challenges around health and wellbeing on rural communities around the State. There are so many more barriers to getting help when life gets especially hard because of the lack of service availability, location, distances, travel, stigma and cost, and so we wait, and the wait is deadly. Twice as deadly. Suicide in rural Australia happens twice as often as it does in the cities. This is why we need to talk about wellbeing.

And we need to talk about you. It is ok to remember that YOU matter, YOU are important, and that YOUR happiness, health and relationships warrant some care and attention. Wellbeing is not about throwing out an old life, but building new habits, one little moment at a time. The ‘plus one’ theory describes how when we add just one positive person, step, or action to our life we can change our wellbeing. It does not change the weather, markets or our location, but helps us mentally manage these things so we can keep moving forward and make plans for the future. Unfortunately, like all things, there is no ‘one-size-fits-all’ with great wellbeing. What makes a big or little difference for your neighbour might not work for you. But knowing that your health, happiness, and relationships needs some ongoing attention is a good start, and if that is the only thing you take from today’s wellbeing article, I am happy.

The new calendar year is a fantastic time to reflect, reassess and re-evaluate how and why we do what we do, on and off farm. You have lots to celebrate this past year, your 16-hour harvest days, hundreds of hours in the shearing shed, restructuring business, training, study, and mentoring are all invaluable and no one can ever put a price on your incredible efforts in these places and people. But you deserve a reward and to be celebrated, so if no one has congratulated you on your efforts and your year, let me do so - WELL DONE!

As you start your 2023 remember that one thing always effects the next, and when harvest, shearing, fencing and your time off is over and you start to plan your New Year, make sure it includes you doing something to celebrate this past one and how far you have come.

The reminders and ‘life-hacks’ I am taking into 2023 are:

1. Relationships are everything, a couple of people in and out of your industry that you can journey with, ‘talk shop’ and that can ‘truth talk’ to you, are everything. I isolated myself during the pandemic, and in 2022, so Ive put some things in place for 2023 so that I do not replicate this and have better relationships, and a stronger sense of community,
3. People remember how you make them feel, try not to scream and berate those close, losing it at our people does so much damage and we need to treat our people the best we possibly can,
4. Work out how your people like to be rewarded and loved, knowing their ‘love language’ is so powerful and such a great strengthener of relationships, also say ‘sorry’ if you need to and schedule in some fun (UNO anyone?), and
5. Remember that you are what you eat and drink! (Relax, I am speaking to myself here, I cannot be trusted around chocolate!) But seriously, you would not put the wrong fuel in your tractor, header, quad or Ute, so here’s to you fuelling you better in 2023 - you need to look after your gorgeous self! (And yes, I still treat myself with chocolate on Sundays, just not every day anymore.)

Lastly, don’t worry, all my life domains are not perfect, and I had more sickness in 2022 than I thought was possible. I also still have fractures in relationships that I never ever thought would break, and I too take a few steps forward with life and then feel like I am taking a step back. But here’s to great wellbeing in 2023 with better health, happiness, and relationships.

Now, where did I put that chocolate.