Minding your head

With a brother and an uncle in farming, Sharon Claydon thought she knew what she was letting herself in for when she a married a farmer five years ago. In reality, she says she was not prepared for the magnitude of the task ahead.

She explains: “When I sat down and listed all the jobs that come in my direction, it was quite scary. On any given day I’m a secretary, housekeeper, cook, childminder, decorator, tractor driver, bovine foot trimmer, milker, electrician, plumber, builder and more.”

Prior to taking up residence on the dairy farm, Sharon managed an estate for 10 years and worked as a driving instructor for four years after that. Life certainly changed with a new husband, a small child and 180 mixed-breed milking herd to suddenly take care of.

Sharon loves that she has gained so many skills through farming, and she describes her new capabilities as “empowering and satisfying”. However, she recently found herself stumbling under the weight of the responsibility her new-found skills had given her and began to suffer from depression.

She says: “I had my first and, I hope only, bout of depression. It prompted me to look further about the incidence of depression in the agriculture sector online and there are lots of charities and organisations that provide support in times of crisis. The Farming Community Network was a godsend and provided the support I needed. ”

Being a mother to four-year-old Thomas also added to the strain. Sharon says: “Thomas was a help and a hindrance. His smile and quirky sense of humour always made me laugh but he can also be a massive drain on my energy levels when he wants to play and I've only finished milking.”

It’s still not all plain-sailing for Sharon now though. She attributes the severe pressure that farmers and their families find themselves under to many specific farming issues, including the financial pressures of running a business, the bureaucracy of farm inspections, geographical isolation on farms and the long working hours of the job.

It’s these seldom discussed industry nuances that inspired Sharon to tell her story and she wants to let other people know that they’re not alone if they have these feelings too. “Life still has its ups and downs, but on the whole we are fine. Farmers are under immense pressure, but I also want to acknowledge the wives, mothers, fathers, children and partners that do so much for the farms as well.”

Sharon has some words of advice when it comes to people who find themselves in a position where they are struggling: “Act sooner and don't wait until you are at crisis point. We don't ask for help when we need it, we don't take time to look after ourselves properly. We only see the doctor if we think we are dying but they are there for other things, we need to use the resources out there. Yes the animals need feeding and the crops need harvesting but you can't do that if you don't look after yourself.” ¦