Curiosity is in the nature of most journalists, so it’s not surprising when Bob Bosold or I say “hello” to random people during our travels, often striking up conversations to learn a little about those people and passing the time of day with them.
Little did we realize how that might put us in positions to be helpful to people who are having really rough days.
The realization came to mind Tuesday as a mental health care advocate presented his “It’s OK to Not be OK” program to people attending the Wisconsin Forage Symposium at Wisconsin Dells. Argyle-area farmer Jeff Ditzenberger, who operates a project to help people understand and deal with mental health issues, said we all should take a moment to ask people — family, friends or even strangers — how their days are going.
“You never know how much it might mean to a person to just have you ask them how their day is going,” Ditzenberger said.
Ditzenberger has been making the season’s farm conferences around the Upper Midwest to continue passing the messages he said have helped him while dealing with military-related post traumatic stress disorder issues. He says much of what’s helped him can help others.
Midwest Farm Report staffers talked with Ditzenberger several weeks ago during the Wisconsin Corn-Soy Expo, and I again visited with him during the forage symposium. He said people seem to be increasingly understanding the importance of having open conversations about mental health matters, and that understanding increases between every session.
“We’ve started talking with it more, and that’s a good start,” he said.
But, he added, starting to talk more about it isn’t enough. He said it takes action, starting with talking with others and asking that seemingly simple question: “How are you doing today?”
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