Recently even the smallest things were irritating me: someone stopping in front of me in the supermarket, my partner asking if I wanted Earl Grey or English Breakfast. In hindsight, I can see these were the telltale signs of stress, which was hardly surprising when so many things were going wrong. We all have times like this. But at the time I didn’t realise and those feelings lasted. 

I didn’t want to meet up with friends because I felt grim and grumpy, and like I just kept messing things up — like the character ‘Small’ in the children’s book ‘No Matter What?’ by Debi Gliori.

Looking back at this time, I’d lay awake at night with thoughts going round and round and start doom scrolling as a distraction. I knew it wasn’t helping, but I just found myself doing it. 

By the time morning crept in, soft and grey, I was so tired when the alarm went off, I couldn’t get out of bed. I just wanted to pull the duvet over my head and stay there. But then I heard the birds chirping outside—a silvery, cheerful tune. And the words came to me like a wakeup call… Do one wild thing a day this June. It’s 30 Days Wild! 

Have breakfast outside, I thought. It wasn’t a grand decision, just a moment. I took my tea outside and sat down. The sun shone, a cluster of dandelion seeds floated by on a gentle breeze and the tree waved its leaves at me. 

The birds sang. The moment was so simple. So gentle. So lovely. There was no pressure. 

I reached for my phone but this time it was for the Merlin App, to put names to the notes I could hear. More than just a blackbird. The lead was a robin, joined by a dunnock, woodpigeon, wren, great tit, coal tit, blue tit and a magpie too. I had no idea there were so many different birds around. 

So why not try it? 30 Days Wild. Just a little bit of nature each day could be a way back to feeling more yourself again. Maybe… just maybe. Perhaps by day seven, something will shift. 

If we stepped outside each morning—no grand plans, just five minutes. The morning dew on our feet. A blackbird’s song. The bright yellow of a buttercup. Maybe your thoughts, once tangled and harsh, will begin to soften. Maybe you’ll breathe more deeply. Nature doesn’t demand anything. It just is—steady, grounding, alive. And in that quiet company there is a peace and calm. 

30 Days Wild isn’t really a challenge—perhaps more of a lifeline. A gentle rhythm. Proof that fleeting moments with wildlife, strung together one by one like a daisy chain, can slowly make you feel whole again. So, if you’re feeling irritable, upset, anxious, or lost—let yourself pause. Let the emails and To Do lists wait. 

Let the world spin without you for a while. It might seem small but give yourself permission to step outside, walk barefoot in the grass and look up to the sky. Let the birdsong be enough for today.

You don’t have to fix everything. Just take one step in nature at a time. 30 Days Wild is an invitation, not a task. Let nature hold space for you in June. Let it remind you how to breathe, how to feel, how to notice again. 

And if it calls to you—even softly—let it. Let this be the start. Not perfect, not planned. Just you and wildlife. Just 30 Days Wild. 

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