Beyond the Fences: Building Emotional Sustainability Through the Toughest Seasons
When we talk about sustainability in agriculture, the spotlight is usually on soil health, water use, and environmental impact and fair enough, they’re bloody important. But there’s one kind of sustainability that often gets overlooked, especially in the bush: emotional sustainability.
Because what good is a full silo or a bumper crop if the person behind it is running on empty?
The Hidden Cost of Disaster
Right now, rural Australia is worn thin. In the south, it’s the relentless dry paddocks turning to dust, tanks running low, and livestock costs through the roof. Families watching the sky every day, hoping for a break that never comes.
And while one part of the country dries out, others are being drowned. Northern New South Wales, the Central Coast, parts of Queensland soaked and flooded, again. Homes lost. Fences wrecked. Crops ruined. Recovery efforts stretched beyond breaking point.
Whether it’s drought or flood, the toll is real. And the thing we don’t talk about enough is what it does to our hearts, our minds, and our sense of self.
The Weight You Carry
I’ve seen it. I’ve felt it. I’ve lived it.
I know what it’s like to wear the mask to nod and smile when someone asks how you’re going, while inside you’re screaming. To feel like you’ve got nothing left in the tank but still get up before the sun because the farm won’t run itself.
I speak with farmers and rural workers every week who are mentally and emotionally burnt out. Not just tired, done in. Worn thin from months (sometimes years) of “pushing through” without a breather.
But emotional sustainability isn’t about being tough or pretending you’re fine. It’s about finding a way to keep going without losing yourself in the process.
What it Looks Like When the Wheels Fall Off
It might be:
Lying awake every night thinking about money, weather, or what you’ll tell the bank
Snapping at your kids or partner over nothing
Avoiding your mates because it’s easier than trying to pretend
Feeling like you’re going through the motions, just existing, not living
That’s not failure. That’s overload. And it’s a sign that something needs to change.
It’s Time We Talk About This
We talk about physical recovery after a disaster. We talk about rebuilding fences, restocking herds, and replacing machinery.
But we hardly ever talk about emotional recovery and without that, we’re just patching holes in a sinking ship.
It’s time we started checking in on the people, not just the paddocks.
It’s time we normalised conversations like:
“Are you sleeping?”
“Have you had a proper break lately?”
“Do you want to talk about what’s really going on?”
Where Do You Begin?
You begin with honesty. With dropping the mask. With telling someone anyone that you’re struggling. That you’re not okay. That you need support.
And if you don’t know where to start, that’s why I created The Unbreakable Wheel of Wellbeing.
It’s not some fluffy checklist. It’s a down-to-earth tool built from my own hard-learned lessons. A way to look at your life not just your work and see what needs attention. Your mental health. Your relationships. Your sense of purpose. Your body. Your spirit.
It helps you see the cracks before things fall apart.
👉 Get it here for free here: www.theunbreakablefarmer.com.au/contact
Print it. Share it. Talk about it at the pub, the fire shed, the footy club. Use it with your crew or on your own. It might just be the circuit-breaker you need.
This is the Work That Matters
We can rebuild fences. We can replant. We can restock. But if we don’t look after ourselves and each other, none of that will matter in the long run.
So to every farmer, truckie, small business owner, support worker, and frontline responder out there I see you. I hear you. I’ve been you.
You're not soft. You're not weak. You're bloody human. And your wellbeing matters more than the next rainfall or the next load delivered.
If you’re struggling, please reach out:
TIACS – 0488 846 988
Lifeline – 13 11 14
Rural Aid – 1300 327 624
Drought Angels – 07 4662 7371
Beyond Blue – 1300 224 636
Rural Financial Counselling Service – 1800 686 175
Let’s put emotional sustainability on the map right alongside soil health, water management, and economic recovery.
Because healthy farms need healthy farmers.
And it all starts with a conversation.