Don't live the same year 75 times and call it a life is a motto that I have tried to live by for quite a few years now. Because for most of my existence, I have endured some sort of mental health issue, whether it be depression, anxiety or insecurity leading to suicidal thoughts.

Finding stillness in the mind in the haze of our surroundings on the Beeripmo walk, Mount Cole State Forest, VictoriaAll pictures by the author

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Feeling the breeze at Passage Peak, Hamilton Island. Whitsundays, Queensland

So about 10 years ago, I needed something different than a dark, cold counsellor's room. I tried a walk down by the Yarra River alone, really it was to find perspective and escape to a quiet peaceful place. From that very small first step ignited a future of hiking daily in Australia's most iconic destinations.

Discovering new philosophies, places and pushing my body to thrilling limits in cold, wet and even boiling temperatures. With every step, my connection to nature and my self-awareness became stronger.

Over time I have realised the primary expressions of emotions - anger, fear, sadness, and joy - are an important form of human energy output. In those troubling personal times it has been hiking that has been a constant for me to remember … who am I, what I can control and what I can not only achieve but what is required to feel fulfilled and worthy in this world.

Nature has taught me about finding balance whilst in harmony with my mind and body, finding resolution and meaning with my paradigm, reality and self-image. Walking in nature has made me reconnect with my

primordial nomadic instinct, realising that feelings are only generated to serve and motivate through thought and action, not to control.

So as regional Victoria was coming out of another COVID lockdown, my personal self worth from being isolated for so long was low. I needed a distraction, a challenge, something that would allow me to rediscover myself.

An ideaAn idea came to me: 30 in 30 - walking 30 kilometres every day for 30 days. This had a poetic sound. I never heard of anyone doing this before, let alone filming it as a documentary. I wondered if this was possible. I know in America there are thru-hikers, but they don’t walk a consistent distance every day.

Pre-production and planning began. I gave myself one month to prepare for this journey. As a past personal trainer and now experienced hiker, I was able to apply learnt knowledge about pace, timing, performance and programming.

There were so many doubts, will I even make it to day three? How will I still be able to go to work? How will I complete tasks on the property while maintaining a marriage?

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What I packed for the walkRefuge Cove, Wilsons Prom, Victoria

Sensory information serves as our most basic form of communication, and we receive a lot of stimulus from the outside world. Hence, it was vital that I remained disciplined and channel my energies into the right areas over the challenge.

The daysDay two of the challenge it absolutely stormed with lighting and hail all day. After day five I had never felt more isolated. Walking 5-6 hours every day alone was starting to grind. A friend gave me some wise words over the phone, "you may be physically alone … but you are not alone spirituality, there are many people in and around our lives daily that care, love, and admire us." Those words were able to give me strength until day 12. I started to develop blisters, with calves and ankles stinging and swollen with pain. That feeling of knowing that you have trained for this moment, you have put in the time, dedication, discipline, and all you can do is remember, "I must learn to be comfortable in being uncomfortable".

Conscious breathing while walking provides that first energy input, and with this in mind, I believe the deep breathing techniques that I have learnt along the way have allowed me to become a calmer, stronger and generally a healthier individual. But essentially, in the end, all you truly have to rely on is your mind and whether that will be strong enough to push you through "our own perceived limitations".

I now see that days 1-10 were the hardest, while days 20-30 were the easiest. It’s fair to say that by day 30 I was quite sad that the journey was coming to an end. My mind and body were both in a routine and I was beginning to understand my physical limitations and how I can control my feelings through actions.

Mental and physical energy is intimately connected with the energy of feeling and emotions. Understanding our internal version or interpretation of external reality with this in thought; I believe having the ability to reflect, think, feel, sense and place extra emphasis on awareness has improved from walking. Being able to see koalas in the wild

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My sense of place, where I feel most comfortable in the world.Yarra River, Wonga Park, Victoria, my favourite bushwalk