Many farmers, and people in other walks of life, didn’t take a vacation this summer even though they know they needed one. Perhaps they felt they couldn’t afford a vacation, or had matters that required their attention and interfered with taking time away from work.

I’ve “been there and done that” myself. How do we know when to take breaks and to deal with feelings? Can we take departures from work and other demands that we feel we should address, even if fatigued? Absolutely.

When to take a vacation? There are distinguishable signs in our feelings and behaviors that indicate the need for a break. The people around you are probably well aware of your uptightness and wish you would pay more attention to self-care.

Here are signals that the federal Disaster Technical Assistance Center promulgates, including some personal observations:

•Feeling irritated and annoyed by requests that you usually help with – keep in mind that the smaller the irritant that generates antipathy, the greater the need for a vacation from stressors

•Difficulty sleeping, restlessness, dreams that involve feelings of obligation but inability to complete a task

•Inexplicable inability to perform routine tasks as well as usual

•Trouble enjoying things that have been fun in the past

•Wanting to avoid coworkers and people needing your input, even though that is not typical of you

•Atypical outbursts of anger, trouble concentrating, diminished planning capacity and delaying tasks you can usually handle

•Feeling more tired than usual even though there is no discernible physical or medical explanation

•Derogating oneself when requests are made that you normally handle readily but which now seem immense

When you eventually realize you are worn out and need restoration, you have achieved an appropriate recognition – go with it. Everyone experiences burnout, especially if we are doing our jobs well. Wearing out is normal.

In professions like counseling and care-giving of any type, the term “burnout” is a common descriptor when it’s time to take a break. Farmers, ranchers, workers in agriculture and anyone, for that matter, can experience burnout too. It’s not a sign of inadequacy – it’s a sign of the need to take care of oneself.

While separation from the work scene on a vacation elsewhere is more conducive to restoring ourselves, sometimes vacations aren’t possible. Taking breaks away from daily demands even though remaining at home are better than not taking breaks to regain perspective.

Here are a few “prescriptions” for taking care of ourselves:

•Go somewhere nearby or remain at home with a stipulation that no one can contact you for three or more days except for one or two people who know how to reach you for an emergency

•It takes at least three days, but longer is better, to adequately detach from feelings of obligation and to relax in the vacation environment

•If it’s not possible to leave home, turn over responsibilities to others and request privacy to indulge in activities that are completely unlike work activities

•It helps to not answer phone calls unless from “emergency” contacts, and to not examine social media or news on television, radio, and smart phones

•If you invite others to join you on recreational activities, inform them beforehand to avoid talking about things that are work-related

•Include a spouse or other loved ones so they can share in your “escape”

•Laughing and just plain “goofing off” are therapeutic

•Drinking alcohol, using “street drugs” or prescribed medications may help temporarily, but their benefits play out, rendering them ineffective until conscious efforts to change behaviors are implemented

How do we know when we are ready to go back to work? Here are some hints:

•We know we have refilled our emotional fuel tank when we feel excited and positive about going back to work

•We have energy and enjoy the people and activities that earlier we wanted to avoid

•We have already planned our next breaks from work responsibilities and obligations

However, keep an eye on wearing out again. We may need to extend breaks or take more brief respites if we persist in feeling fatigued.

It’s not too late to take a vacation or a break, even though harvest is coming up or already here. Only we can determine to take care of ourselves. Vacations are necessary investments that we can undertake in ourselves.

I learned the hard way that it is necessary sometimes to park farm machinery and to avoid requests from people in order to take care of myself. I overworked and injured myself more than once while farming.

It might seem I am slothful when passersby see our lawn needs mowing. Callers wonder why I can’t be reached on the phone or respond to emails. My actions are likely deliberate. Taking breaks makes me better – and they can help you, too.

Dr. Mike Rosmann is a psychologist and farmer in western Iowa. The views and opinions expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of Farm World. Readers may contact him at mike@agbehavioralhealth.com