TEDx Speaker and the 2023 FFA Change Maker, Ahsley Machado says that from a young age, people in the agriculture industry are taught to use tools. Working with a lot of dairy producers, she sees how much they contribute to the local economy, but also that they’re leading the way with mental health struggles and suicide.
“You see males at the top of the list,” Machado, who has her B.A. in Human Development and her master’s in social work with an emphasis in Clinical Mental Health, recently shared at the Dairy Calf & Heifer Annual Meeting in Westminster, Colo.
Machado says that more and more people in the dairy community are struggling because they are overworked or overstressed, have trouble concentrating, feel fatigued, have trouble sleeping, have more headaches and so many other symptoms.
“These are all signs that something’s going on,” she says. “I’m here to tell you that our mental health is actually one of our most underutilized tools for our business.”
Machado says research proves that people who support their mental health:
- Live longer
- Have better relationships.
- Yell less
- Are able to enjoy their everyday activities more.
- Are more likely to innovate their businesses.
In fact, Machado says farmers that she has worked with that were more in tune with their mental health saw increased profits.
Machado says most farmers have a shelf that is full of clutter, and after a while that shelf can only withstand so much stuff. She pointed out the same holds true for farmers.
“Most farmers don’t want to deal with things and then it all comes crashing down at exactly the worst time,” she says. “It feels uncomfortable taking that first step, talking to someone or even acknowledging that maybe something is going on or that you’re struggling, but it doesn’t feel uncomfortable because it’s wrong. It feels uncomfortable because it’s new. Growth and change are uncomfortable because it’s mental, not because it’s wrong, not because it’s bad or something we shouldn’t be doing.”
Machado says that everyone feels stress differently. Some experience headaches, and others might have pain in their shoulders or clenching in the chest. The important thing is to note when you are feeling off.
Breath In and Out
Huberman Lab Podcast is led by a Stanford neuroscientist who says that a breathing exercise can lower anxiety or stress by 60% at the moment.
“If you do it regularly, once or twice a day, it can lower your baseline anxiety,” Machado says. She demonstrates that you take a deep breath in for four seconds, hold for a second, take one quick inhale, pause and hold for a second, then take an extended exhale through your mouth.
She shares that the nice thing is that you can do this while you are working, which works well for agriculture industry jobs, like milking cows or feeding calves when you cannot take a break whenever you choose.
For more information about tangible mental health tools and solutions, follow Machado along at w.m-well.org.
More Mental Health Stories:
- Join the Conversation Around Mental Health: You Just Might Save a Life
- Your Mental Health Toolbox: How To Recognize The Warning Signs
- Communication is an Essential Ingredient to Help with Mental Health in Agriculture
