“Naked and Afraid” Survivalist Says 'Free Bleeding' on the 'Motherland' During Her Period Is a 'Blessing' (Exclusive)

'Naked and Afraid' airs Sundays at 8 p.m. EST on Discovery Channel

One contestant is off to a rocky start in her Naked and Afraid journey as she starts menstruating just a few days into the challenge.

In PEOPLE’s exclusive preview of Sunday’s episode, Australian survivalist Britt Laidlaw explains how although she’s struggling with fatigue due to her period while in the heat of Limpokwena, South Africa, “free bleeding” — menstruation without using period products to block or collect blood flow — makes her feel more connected to nature.

“I feel so incredibly proud for how deeply I’m listening to my body with the need to rest and lay down,” she said in the clip. “I think a lot of people in a survival context would think that having a menstrual cycle out in the wild when you’ve got other s— to do would actually be a huge disadvantage, but I’m not out here to combat this place. I’m out here to connect with this place.”

“I also feel like me coming into my menstruation, that ceremony is to give blood in order to receive life from the land,” she added.

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Britt noted that she’s embracing the experience of dealing with her period without using any tampons or pads.

“I know I’m going to tell this story for the rest of my life of free bleeding on South Africa, the motherland,” she said. “I’m taking it as a real blessing.”

As part of the tribes challenge, Britt is teamed up with Sara Kunz, from Hawaii, beginning their 21-day adventure separately before merging together. Although Sara understands the difficulty Britt is facing while on her period, she starts to worry that her fatigue is impacting her ability to hunt.

“There’s one thing on my mind and that’s food,” Sara said. “I recognize the struggle Britt has between getting things done and allowing her body to rest, but I think as a team, we need to take food more seriously.”

In the promo, Sara attempts to stay quiet and hunt, keeping an eye on the first duiker antelope she sees come out of hiding. However, she gets frustrated after Britt scares it off because she was making too much noise in the water.

Related: 'Naked and Afraid' Teases New Episodes with Plenty of Tears but — as Always — No Clothes (Exclusive)

“This morning I woke up feeling in a pretty crappy mood and physically really really weak. I think primarily because of my cycle,” Britt said. “I need to get the water on my body to kind of refresh my state of being.”

“I hear my partner. There just can’t be anything here when it’s hunting time. There’s just no way it’s gonna work,” Sara said before the duiker is seen taking off after hearing Britt. “Yup. There, I just saw him f—ing run away.”

Naked and Afraid airs Sundays at 8 p.m. EST on Discovery Channel.

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