Linh Aven of Dandelion Forest Farm

The 436th recipient is Linh Aven of Dandelion Forest Farm in Nottingham, NH. Linh writes:

What self-care and well-being mean to me as a farmer: “Self-care and well-being means taking care of yourself so that you can then take care of others. We have a short growing season and the work is exhausting both mentally and physically. Taking care of myself means cooking a healthy meal and sitting down to eat it. It means taking time to stretch in the morning before I get going. It means dedicating a few hours off each week to not think about farming. And it means taking a day off each month to rest and recharge.”

How I might use this $100 self-care award: “I would use this $100 award to get a mid-season massage. The days are long and the work is longer. This would force me to pause, take a breath, take some time and help prevent burn-out by the end of the season.”

Most important self-care needs that contribute to my well-being as a farmer: "I need to commit to taking at least one morning or afternoon off per week. That means no farming, no thinking about farming, even getting off property to that I'm forced to rest and recharge. It's hard to give myself permission to take time for myself. When I do take this time, I can think more clearly, make better decisions, and am overall more healthy physically and mentally.”

#realfarmercare