The wellbeing of farmers is a common discussion point among us farmers. Farming is physically and psychologically challenging, especially for inexperienced and older farmers. I’ve been thinking about how the contemporary practice of mindfulness may fit with farmers to improve psychological wellbeing.
Mindfulness is the practice of being aware of our present state and has been associated with improved psychological wellbeing. However, convincing farmers to practice mindfulness may be challenging. For example, farmers are busy and may not have time to learn and engage in mindfulness or establish a daily routine. A second barrier is the farmers’ stoic attitudes. Farmers tend to endure physical and psychological distress without disclosing their experience due to complex factors, such as putting the animal’s wellbeing before their own. Thus, farmers who are not currently practising mindfulness may not consider mindfulness to be a priority.
However, many farmers in my community have described various practices without recognising that what they were describing was mindfulness. For example, my father, a lifelong farmer, described how he enjoys standing in the paddock, with the recently milked cattle and the warm evening sun on his skin, and just feeling like one with the environment. He has engaged in this behaviour quite naturally from a young age and continues to practice it today, albeit sits on the quadbike rather than standing. But he does not consider this a practice of mindfulness.
I do not know how the farmers’ lives would be different if they did not engage in mindfulness, but the stories I have heard bring me hope that introducing mindfulness to inexperienced farmers may help buffer farming burnout and increase overall wellbeing.
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