Get Unfunked With Me: Day One

It's been almost a month since I've written here.

Not because I haven't been writing. In fact, I've probably been writing more than ever. But for the past month, I've been completely consumed by the YAP Challenge, pouring most of my words into creating content every single day.

Somewhere along the way, though, I started feeling a little... funky.

Not in a fun way.

In an overwhelmed, spread-too-thin, constantly-on-my-phone kind of way.

Today, I had some clarity.

Why I'm documenting this

So I've decided to start documenting my unfunking process — sharing not only the real, raw and vulnerable parts of life that challenge me, but also the exact things I'm doing to feel my way back to myself.

Honestly, there are endless ideas I want to explore here. The practices I'm experimenting with, what happens when I try them, what actually helps and what doesn't.

But for today, I simply want to share what unfolded.

The afternoon that almost got away

I worked from home today, starting the morning with an online meeting before diving straight into preparations for a work event that's now only two weeks away.

On top of that, I was a few days behind in the YAP Challenge, had content to create for my socials, and was trying to juggle it all alongside the usual chaos of being a working mum.

By early afternoon, my head felt foggy and my chest felt tight.

I knew I needed to get outside.

I'd already decided to go for a walk because I know it almost always helps, but then life happened. I got distracted, the dogs staying with me needed to be picked up, and before I knew it, the afternoon had almost disappeared.

I even considered skipping the walk altogether.

The kids would be home soon.

I didn't have as much time as I'd planned.

Surely there were more productive things I could be doing.

But the desire to feel better kept nudging at me.

So I got my ass out the door.

The final release

I wandered down to a little reserve near my house that I love walking through.

I felt the first exhale from my body as I stepped through the gate, but my head still felt foggy and my chest still felt a bit tight.

As I wandered through the reserve, I brushed my hands against the trees and looked up through the gum leaves to the cloudy sky.

With each step, I felt a little more connected to myself.

Still feeling a little off, I decided to go for a short jog, knowing that movement usually helps me get out of my head.

Only a few minutes later, I felt clearer than I had in weeks.

Then I decided to quite literally hug a tree.

If you'd told me that morning that hugging a gum tree would be the thing that shifted my mood, I probably would've laughed.

But there I was, draped over a branch with my legs dangling and my arms wrapped around it.

And somehow...

That was the final release.

I stayed there for a few quiet minutes before beginning the walk home.

As I left the reserve, clarity arrived almost all at once. Ideas started flowing so quickly that I pulled out my phone and recorded voice notes while I walked.

Then it began softly raining.

I felt everything in me come alive.

Following the feeling

By the time I got home, I'd already decided to drag my moon chair outside, make myself a cup of tea, and simply sit there listening to the rain before the kids got home from school.

Not long after, they arrived.

And I realised something.

I felt ready to enjoy their company.

We sat outside together for a while before heading in to make dinner.

Earlier that afternoon, I'd convinced myself it was going to be one of those "toast for dinner" kind of nights.

Instead, I found myself inspired to cook something completely random, and it turned out to be one of the best meals I'd made in ages.

None of this happened by accident.

I didn't know exactly what I needed.

I only knew how I wanted to feel.

You don't need to know exactly how to create the life you want. You simply need to know how you want to feel.

So I set that intention.

Then I followed the little nudges.

Go for the walk.

Jog for a minute.

Hug the tree.

Sit outside with a cup of tea.

Each one led naturally to the next.

By the end of the day, I felt like a completely different person.

Not because I'd solved every problem.

But because I'd followed the feeling I wanted instead of the thoughts telling me why I couldn't get there.

I'm becoming more and more convinced that you don't need to know exactly how to create the life you want.

You simply need to know how you want to feel.

Hold that desire long enough, and life has a funny way of leading you to the next right thing.

So that's what this little experiment is about.

Following those nudges.

Getting unfunked.

And sharing what I discover along the way.