episode 7: Ashley Machado
WINTON, CALIFORNIA
Ashley Machado
grew up in Chowchilla, a small town located in California’s Central Valley. Her grandfather had a dairy farm where she loved spending time in nature with animals as a kid. While she loved the farm, eventually she knew it was time to leave her small town. She moved to the Bay Area and attended college at Sonoma State University where she earned a Bachelors of Arts in Social Work with an emphasis in Clinical Health.
She had always been interested in mental health and human biological, psychological, and social connections and how they connected with nature. Growing up in agriculture, she knew it was important to be outside, but it’s so often forgotten. Even those whose living is made on the land can sometimes forget just how healing nature can be.
According to a study released by the CDC, people working in agriculture occupations experience a suicide rate nearly five times higher than that of the general population. By industry, agriculture is leading all others in suicide rates.
Mental health is clearly a huge issue in agriculture, partially in part because it hasn't traditionally been talked about much within the industry. Many farmers and ranchers are raised with the “cowboy up” mentality that requires them to be, or at least appear, tough. So how do we bring the conversation to the forefront?
Ashley says we must first normalize struggle. A staggering 1 in 4 people struggle with mental health. Phrases like, “I’m struggling with…” or, “I’m having a hard time with…” are great places to start the conversation.
“It’s a lot of pressure carrying on a family legacy. So it’s like, I’m feeling something but I need to push it down. I can’t deal with that right now because I have x, y and z on my plate. There are so many uncontrollable things in the ag industry. So if I feel that and I pause and lean into what is uncontrollable then it’s like too much. Then I’m not tough. There is shame. There is guilt with that.”
- Ashley Machado, Dairy Farmer & Mental Health Professional
When asked how to convince the older, more traditional generations to be receptive to mindfulness, mental health, and self-care, Ashley shared, “I think we don’t convince them, we show them.”
Mindfulness doesn’t necessarily mean sitting cross legged saying “om” with your eyes closed, but rather just being aware of what’s going on in your body. When we tune in, we may notice signals within our body offering us an opportunity to dig deeper about what may be going on in our life to cause those feelings.
Mindfulness tools can include things like journaling, spending time in silence, listening to peaceful music, working out, gardening, grounding (walking barefoot in the dirt), or anything repetitive. Breath work, or intentional breathing, is also an effective tool to help bring down anxiety.
Square Breathing Exercise:
Follow the edge of a picture frame breathing in deep for 4 counts down one side, holding for 4 counts across, exhaling for 4 counts up the other side, and holding again for four counts across. Repeat at least 4 times.
Journal Exercise:
Write down everything that’s holding you back. Then, go back and cross out anything that is NOT a fact. Anxiety lives in the future and the “what ifs.” Pausing to write down the thoughts going through your head can help differentiate what is fact and what is not.
We all live busy lives, but taking a few minutes out of our day to care for ourselves is paramount to our well being.
Along with running the family dairy alongside her husband and two daughters, Ashley teaches mental health tools and helps ag businesses provide curriculum to their employees and customers for mental health.
The BACKROAD COWGIRLS
are so thankful for the work Ashley is doing. Through mental health education, consultations, workshops and more she is shedding light on a serious topic in agriculture that has long needed to be addressed.
Brought to you in partnership with:
Photography by Shelby Caitlin Photography