I wanted to share something thought-provoking that recently landed in my inbox.

The message was simple yet profound:

“Maybe it’s not about feeling good all the time, it’s about getting good at feeling.”

So why is this farmer talking about feelings?

To be sure, I have a lot more to say than what to do with your CSA vegetables. 

I’m on a mission to live a long, vibrant, healthy life.

AND, in case you didn’t know, my mission includes helping you to live a long, vibrant, healthy life too.  

I figure growing good high-quality food and sharing my knowledge of living a good life can help you live your best life too.

There’s no denying; I want it all.

Want to know my ultimate mission in life?

To experience true abundance EVERY DAY.  I believe true abundance stems from having true resilience. More on that in a minute.

Do you agree that our health is about the emotional and psychological as much as it is physical and physiological? I believe good health is a balance of both the emotional and physical.  

We all have rough days and weeks, sometimes months or years. Our brains naturally want to go towards negative emotion -it’s some sort of crazy self-protection mechanism that keeps us stuck and can work against us in today’s safe world.  

The fight, flight, or fright response is a survival mechanism that prepares the body to react to perceived threats. While it was crucial in our evolutionary past, this response can be triggered by modern-day situations where it isn’t necessary, leading to chronic stress and various health issues. Here are some examples:

1. Workplace Stress

• Situation: An impending deadline or a demanding boss.
• Response: The body might go into overdrive with increased heart rate, shallow breathing, and heightened anxiety, as if it’s preparing to face a physical threat.
• Impact: Chronic activation can lead to hypertension, burnout, and even heart disease.

2. Social Media Pressure

• Situation: Negative comments or comparing oneself to others online.
• Response: The brain perceives social rejection or criticism as a threat, triggering anxiety or even panic, similar to facing a predator.
• Impact: This can contribute to mental health issues like anxiety, depression, and social withdrawal.

3. Traffic Jams

• Situation: Being stuck in heavy traffic while running late.
• Response: The body might react with frustration, anger, and stress, preparing for a “fight” that never actually occurs.
• Impact: Frequent episodes of this can lead to chronic stress, high blood pressure, and tension headaches.

4. Public Speaking

• Situation: Presenting in front of a large audience.
• Response: Many experience symptoms like sweating, shaking, and a racing heart, as though facing a life-threatening situation (just ask me, I stress before speaking to a group)
• Impact: Repeated exposure can cause ongoing anxiety and avoidance behavior, impacting professional growth.

5. Financial Worries

• Situation: Concerns about bills, debt, or job security.
• Response: The body remains in a heightened state of alertness, as though it’s preparing for an impending disaster.
• Impact: Prolonged stress from financial worries can lead to insomnia, digestive problems, and even a weakened immune system.

6. Relationship Conflicts

• Situation: Arguments or tension with a partner, friend, or family member.
• Response: The body might react as if it’s under attack, leading to increased aggression, withdrawal, or emotional shutdown.
• Impact: This can contribute to chronic stress, poor mental health, and strained relationships.

Do any of these sound familiar?

In all these situations, the fight, flight, or fright response is disproportionate to the actual threat, causing harm over time. And the stress response comes from our unmanaged thoughts about the ‘stress’ at hand. 

These thoughts create our feelings. 

That said, what do you do with the hard feelings?  

Do you let yourself feel them?

It seems to me we’re taught and it’s most acceptable in our society to suppress those hard feelings ie sadness, grief, shame and disappointment.

Liken it to holding a beach ball underwater…

We think (or not) that if we can push them down they’ll go away.

What if the opposite is true?

In our hustle-hard culture, we’re often obsessed with always being on top of our game, and always feeling good (or at least looking good). 

We chase after happiness with endless activities, smooth out every discomfort with quick fixes, and put immense pressure on ourselves to maintain a constant state of well-being.

But what if we’re missing the point?

True resilience isn’t about avoiding uncomfortable emotions; it’s about developing the capacity to experience them fully—without panic, without undue stress.

It’s about feeling fully and authentically, a spectrum that includes joy, sadness, anger, fear, grief and everything in between.

Embracing the Full Spectrum of Feeling

I have come to understand the importance of tuning into my emotions. Farming and motherhood teach me every day. Nature has its rhythms and cycles, much like people. I’ve learned to accept it from Mother Nature and yet it’s taken me a long time to accept my emotional rhythm and flow and that of my children.

There are days of abundant harvest and days of unexpected challenges. Both are integral to the experience and growth of this farm and so it is with our lives.

Instead of masking what we feel with quick fixes, let’s embrace our emotions, understand them, and learn from them.

 Because maybe, just maybe, the key to true well-being isn’t about feeling good all the time, but about getting really good at navigating everything we do end up feeling.

 

Here are some things we’re reading, watching, and listening to at Oak Spring Farm:

• Reading: “Braiding Sweetgrass” by Robin Wall Kimmerer. This beautiful book intertwines indigenous wisdom, scientific knowledge, and the teachings of plants. Izzi is reading it this summer and I read it last year. I enjoyed The Age of Magical Overthinking by Amanda Montell and currently reading Super Human by Dave Asprey.
• Watching: “The Biggest Little Farm” – a documentary that wonderfully captures the essence of sustainable farming and the balance of nature.
• Listening: I listen to a lot of podcasts on farming and personal development. I’ve been listening to Dave Asprey, the biohacker, and his podcast The Human Upgrade. It’s a little out there but I’m fascinated. Music around here lately includes a lot of soulful tunes from Jack Johnson, Tedeschi Trucks,  Gabe Lee, Andrew Duhon, Amos Lee, and a variety of rock and country from Tyler Childers, Zach Bryan, and Johnny Cash. 

As always, I love hearing from you. Let me know what you’re enjoying or what you’d like to see more of. Here’s to embracing the full spectrum of our emotions and finding joy in every season.

Yours in farming and life,

Lisa

Curious about how I can help you become your best self?  Check out my coaching page and sign up for a free 15-minute discovery call. I coach more than farmers 🙂 I’m a single mom, entrepreneur, and ambitious woman. What more is there to say?