The 302nd recipient is Ellie Costello of Trust Land Farm @trustlandfarm in Missoula, MT. Ellie writes:
What self-care and well-being mean to me as a farmer: “In my first season full-time farming, I have accepted that there has not been time or funds to do the type of self-care I was able to practice when working a more standard 9-to-5 job. Self-care for me is finding time to attend to my own needs and not only those of the farm. This includes mental health counseling to support me in the anxiety and stress I feel managing and building a farm business. It also includes physical self-care like occasional massage and acupuncture that reduce my migraines. Or fitness-based care like lifting at a gym or practicing yoga, which help me stay strong and counter the repetitive movements of farming in my body. These examples are things that I gave up during the season, and am just beginning to have time in my day to go to the gym or reach out to schedule with my therapist.”
How I might use this $100 self-care award: “I would use the award to support an acupuncture visit. Previous to farming, acupuncture was a monthly self-care routine because it reduces the number of migraines I have each month. It had been covered by my previous health insurance plan, but now I have a very high cost deductible plan that does not cover acupuncture. I have a long history of migraines and acupuncture is the most relieving support I have found for reducing them.”
Most important self-care needs that contribute to my well-being as a farmer: “Affordable health insurance would help a lot with my self-care needs. It is not an easy problem to solve. More affordable health insurance would make it easier for me to receive mental health support from professional counselors, allow me to receive migraine treatments that I cannot afford, and reduce the stress of this high personal expense.”
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