I am not an expert in mental health. But I do know that the work and realities of owning and managing a farm can get you down - way down. Anxiety and despair are not unreasonable responses to an under-priced market, an over-priced mortgage, and capricious weather. Combined with our community's tendency to value hard work and long hours over effectiveness, the need to present a positive face to your customers, and the feeling of failure that can come when you're supposed to be "living the dream" even though some days and weeks feel like nightmares... "It's not easy" is an understatement.
I think this article from TechCrunch, "Founders on Depression," is well worth the read. I think that many of us sought out farming for the same reasons that entrepreneurs start companies: a passion to do something different, to make a living from our passion, the opportunity to use our skills and abilities to make our own decisions, and to chance and responsibility to set our own standards. This is not an un-fraught path, but it is one traveled, and survived, by many.
I think this article from TechCrunch, "Founders on Depression," is well worth the read. I think that many of us sought out farming for the same reasons that entrepreneurs start companies: a passion to do something different, to make a living from our passion, the opportunity to use our skills and abilities to make our own decisions, and to chance and responsibility to set our own standards. This is not an un-fraught path, but it is one traveled, and survived, by many.
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