Personal resilience, Day 4 – 5th of March 2020

We hope you’re finding our Personal Resilience campaign useful – if you are then please do share it with someone.  Sharing this on social media might just be the thing that helps someone start their own journey to building their resilience.  Today’s exercise is especially worth sharing as not only does it feature The King, but it’s about connecting.

Are you lonesome tonight?

Elvis Presley asked that question in 1960 in one his most famous songs. Today, unfortunately, the answer for many of us is “yes”.

In 2018 BBC Radio 4’s All in The Mind in collaboration with Wellcome Collection conducted an extensive nationwide study of loneliness and its effects.  It concluded that being alone and being lonely are not the same thing.  As human beings we are social creatures.  The five main characteristics of being lonely, according to the survey are:

• Having nobody to talk to
• Feeling disconnected from the world
• Feeling left out
• Sadness
• Not feeling understood.

It would appear that the solution is simple; connect more by increasing opportunities for social interaction. Make opportunities to meet other people. This type of intervention, therefore, focuses on creating such opportunities through organised group activities.  However, in reality the solution, particularly in rural communities, is rarely that straight forward.

However, the answer may lie in taking a small step forward, for example;

• re-connect with a long-lost friend
• phone a relative
• speak to your farm worker about more than just work
• call your advisor for a business chat
• chat to your neighbour about his cattle
• go to your local shop on a regular basis and engage in conversation

Identify one thing that you can do that will make you feel more connected. Tomorrow’s email will continue on the theme of connect.

These emails and resources have been developed by Kim Walker of Advance Consultancy for the Farm Advisory Service.

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If any of these emails or exercises have affected you and you feel you would like to speak to someone, support is available through RSABI.  You can call them on 0300 111 4166.  Their helpline is open from 7am to 11pm all year.