Em willison

Why I'm sitting in Silence for 20hrs

My name is Emma, and this year I'll be sitting in silence for 20 hours to raise awareness and funds for youth mental health and suicide prevention. I've also just come off my 2nd 10day Vippassana Silent Meditation!

Mental health has been part of my story for as long as I can remember. Depression and anxiety run through both sides of my family, and over the years I've experienced the impact they can have on individuals, families, and entire communities. Recently, I lost both an aunt and a close friend to suicide. Their passing reminded me just how important it is that people have access to support before they reach a crisis point.

In between 2016- 2020, I found myself in one of the darkest periods of my own life. I was struggling with severe anxiety, depression, panic attacks, blackouts, fainting, brain zaps, and suicidal thoughts. While support services existed, I often found it incredibly difficult to access the help I needed. Every phone call, appointment, referral, and form felt exhausting when I was already struggling just to get through the day.

What ultimately helped me wasn't a single breakthrough moment. It started with a simple question:

"If I died tomorrow, what would be the one thing I'd regret not doing?” The answer came immediately. Music!!

Music had always been there. At seven years old, I was writing songs before I even knew what songwriting really was. Singing came naturally to me, but somewhere along the way I became focused on fitting in, doing what everyone else was doing, and trying to meet expectations. The thing I loved most slowly drifted into the background. Yet whenever life became difficult, I always found my way back to songwriting.

During COVID, I picked up a guitar and keyboard, and eventually decided to enrol in a music course at TAFE. I jumped straight into a Diploma of Electronic Music Production, learning Ableton Live from scratch. To be honest, it was one of the hardest things I've ever done. I was battling anxiety and depression while trying to study, and there were many moments when I doubted myself. But I kept showing up. Eventually, I graduated with my first diploma. That achievement gave me confidence.I went on to complete a Certificate IV in Music Performance, studied music theory, and later completed a second diploma in performance. More importantly, I started believing that maybe I did belong in music after all.

Even before releasing my own music, I knew what name I wanted to create under. One day I asked my mum what she would have called me if she hadn't chosen Emma.She said, "Sahaja."When I looked up the meaning, I discovered it translates to "natural" and "spontaneous."I remember thinking, "I'm going to do something special with that name one day.” Today, Sahaja has become more than a stage name. It's a reminder of who I am when I'm being authentic.

I'm now performing regularly, singing multiple times a week, playing in two bands and a duo, and creating a life that genuinely excites me. It hasn't happened overnight. It's taken years of study, self-reflection, overcoming limiting beliefs, and learning to step into spaces where I once felt like I didn't belong.

Music didn't magically cure my mental health struggles, but it gave me purpose. , it gave me connection and it gave me something worth staying for. That's why I'm supporting youth mental health and suicide prevention.No one should have to fight so hard to access help when they're already struggling. I want to see support become more accessible, more visible, and easier to reach for the people who need it most. If my story resonates with even one person, then sharing it is worth it.

And if sitting in silence for 20 hours helps start conversations, raise awareness, and support better mental health outcomes for young people, then every minute will be worthwhile.Thank you for supporting this cause, for checking in on your friends and family, and for reminding people that they are not alone.

With love,

Emma (Sahaja)

20 Hours of Silence for Youth Mental Health.

I’m taking on the 20 Hours for 20Talk Challenge which will see me sitting in a 2×2 metre square in a warehouse, alongside 400 other participants, with no talking and no technology for 20 hours. All I’ll have are the essentials I bring with me: a chair, sleeping mat, journal, water, and food. No distractions.