More than 40 Oklahoma Farm Bureau members and guests continued their deep dive into mental wellbeing with the second Cultivating Healthy Minds webinar Friday, Sept. 8.
Focused on stress management, the second webinar featured Dr. Christopher Graham of the Carl Albert Mental Health Center in McAlester.
With a diverse background in social work and counseling, Graham is no stranger to helping others deal with stress, and he knows first-hand the stigma that often surrounds mental health.
Graham acknowledged the stress and challenges that come with work and daily life and knows these are often magnified in agricultural occupations, where uncontrollable variables like weather patterns and market prices have a significant impact on an operation’s success or failure.
He explained there are both biological and environmental factors that influence a person’s stress, and those factors begin at birth.
Graham highlighted a study on the effects of adverse childhood experiences, noting that if children experience or witness abuse, neglect, substance abuse or household dysfunction, they are more likely to die at a younger age than the national average.
He also touched on the way mental health impacts physical health and explained to members how depression has become the leading cause of disability worldwide.
Graham knows the presence of mental illness is high in the agricultural community as the suicide rate for farmers and agricultural workers is nearly five times higher than the national average.
He attributes a large part of the problem to the stigma that often surrounds mental health struggles and said the stigma is often so prevalent that people do not know how to respond when someone opens up to them.
Graham said the key to managing stress is to recognize it as early as possible.
He described some of the physical signs of stress, including tension headaches, back pain, heart palpitations and indigestion. The effects of stress also often produce cognitive symptoms, including forgetfulness, irritability, indecisiveness and trouble concentrating.
Graham offered a number of stress-management techniques, including meditation, deep breathing and exercise.
While these and other strategies can be effective, he acknowledged some circumstances require a more formal treatment plan.
Graham strongly encouraged Farm Bureau members struggling with more complex mental health issues to seek professional support. He recommended a number of statewide resources, including links to certified behavioral health clinics around the state that provide free services to Oklahomans.
He also recommended the 988 suicide hotline as another resource for Oklahomans struggling with mental health. Individuals can call or text the hotline, and they will be connected with someone to help.
To find more resources from Dr. Graham and to learn more about OKFB’s Cultivating Healthy Minds program, visit okfb.news/CHM23.
