Rachel Jamieson On Prioritising Nature
Our TDA Research participant shares her first findings
Last year, we joined forces with The Daily Aus to find three headline-addicted, workaholic readers in dire need of a lifestyle reset. From tens of thousands of entries, we found our first candidates, who we've started sending out to wilderness locations not only to break free from city life, but also to track how time in nature affected them psychologically and physiologically. We'll be sharing these findings soon, but in the meantime, we thought we'd catch up with Rach, who by her own account fits the bill. Here's what she told us about her time at Yenya, a few hours West of Sydney.
You've become part of our pilot study to test the effects of the wilderness on stressed-out, news-addicted people. What attracted you to the idea when you saw it?
Uh, EVERYTHING! I loved the idea of switching off completely - really stripping it all back and just approaching each moment of your day with what's in front of you and your feelings in that moment, rather than being clouded by society or your louder surroundings that happens so often in city life.
How good would you say you are at taking time for yourself normally? 2 out 7 - on the basis that within the 7 days of a week, Monday to Friday is all work for me so I really try to prioritise my weekends for myself and adventure. This will definitely sound like I am just saying it, but I mean it when I say that after getting unyoked, this priority has changed. I am (or at least have the stronger intention to) make more of my mornings and afternoons outside of work hours, as well as keeping it front of mind not to work so much overtime. It truly has made me want to appreciate my moments more.
Do you get to leave the city much and get out into nature on a regular basis? I live on the coast so the beach is a weekly experience for me! Outside of that though, camping and nature would be a monthly (if that) basis! So definitely not enough.
What were you expecting from your first Unyoked session? In all honesty, I had no idea but man, all our expectations blown out of the water. After reading that our Unyoked was a bit of a 'spicy hike' in the Field Guide, we were expecting quite a secluded, untouched piece of nature and that is exactly what we got. I was expecting it to be difficult for both myself and my partner to switch off as 'going off grid' isn't something we often do, but it was quite the opposite once we arrived. The whole setup and experience from receiving your guide book before, to everything you needed being present, it all made it so seamless and natural to be in the moment and enjoy what was in front of you. It was by far the most serene, authentic experience of my life.
I was expecting it to be difficult for both myself and my partner to switch off as 'going off grid' isn't something we often do, but it was quite the opposite once we arrived
You stayed at Yenya, one of our more epic locations. Tell us about your time there. What did you do, what did you discover? It was beautiful! Situated in the most gorgeous of little valleys, we felt so at peace and like it was truly just us and nature. We were lucky enough to be greeted by some local horses who were just incredible and once we met, they hung around the whole time. We spent most of the weekend around our cabin enjoying the simple pleasures that were present. From waking up in the morning and grinding our own coffee (such a grounding experience for the morning), to taking a midday nap on the open grass - that is just unheard of for me! We loved every minute. We cooked jaffles over the fire and by far my favourite moment was sitting around the fire reading stories to each other from 'Cabin Porn', the most amazing array of stories from locations all over the world that was provided in our cabin. Reading isn't something that I do often, so to have that pure moment of sitting and listening to one another as we shared these incredible stories from around the word, it is something I will forever cherish and I think it is safe to say would never had experienced without getting unyoked.
Do you think your mood and feelings changed once you got there? Or it took a few hours? It was immediate. As soon as we parked and saw the arrows to the beginning of our journey, we couldn't wipe the smiles off our faces. It sounds cliche, but it honestly felt like the rest of our lives were just paused for the weekend so we could enjoy what was right in front of us.
In a perfect world, getting unyoked wouldn't be a booster or a getaway, it would be everyday life!
How about when you came back to the city? Did those good vibes last or wash away when you had to get back to real life? I held onto them for as long as I could! I was on a definite high for the next 3 days after getting unyoked. My soul cup was overflowing with nourishment that it flowed over into my life once we were back.
I would love to stayed that way always but unfortunately the constructs of societal life definitely creeped back in but the feelings of being unyoked have definitely been etched into my soul and is like a (healthy) addiction i just want more of.
You're heading back out again for your second session soon. What will you do differently? The only thing would be to get there as soon as check in as soon as time allows and stay right up until check out time!
If you could describe what it is being Unyoked made you feel, what would it be? Grateful. On so many levels. Grateful for the opportunity, our beautiful planet, to feel so in touch with the earth and my surroundings and grateful to have the switch to help show and remind me what is really important in life.
In a perfect world, how many times would you get out to locations like this? How many nature boosters do you think we all need? In a perfect world, it wouldn't be a booster or a getaway, it would be everyday life! It has been 2 months since I was last unyoked, and taking the last 24 months of lockdowns and worldwide pandemic into account, I am definitely feeling ready for another session! Every 2-3 months I think would be ideal and the soul re-filler we all need!
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Find out more about our Research Pilot with The Daily Aus here.