Jade Thwaites

My why 🤍

I’ve gone back and forth about sharing this, because the truth is, mental health isn’t just something I care about… it’s something I’ve lived.

I know what it feels like to smile when you’re not okay.

To keep showing up.
To go to work.
To be a mum.
To be there for everyone else.
While quietly feeling completely lost inside.

I’ve had periods of my life where I’ve felt incredibly alone, even when people were around me. Times where I’ve questioned myself, my worth and where I was even heading in life.

I’ve also experienced the heartbreak of losing someone to suicide.

And that changes you.

It makes you realise just how important it is to talk. To check in. To notice the person who says “I’m fine” but maybe isn’t.

That’s why I’m taking on the 20 Hours for 20Talk Challenge.

For 20 hours I’ll sit in a 2x2 metre square. No phone. No social media. No talking. Just me, my thoughts, a journal, water, a chair and a sleeping mat.

And honestly… the thought of being alone with my own mind for 20 hours scares me a little.

But maybe that’s the point.

Because there are people who feel trapped in their own minds every single day.

People who are hurting but don’t know how to say it.

People who feel like a burden.

People who think everyone would be better off without them.

And people we have already lost.

I’m doing this because I want to use some of my own difficult experiences for something meaningful.

I want to help start conversations.

I want people to know that you don’t have to have it all together.

You don’t have to pretend you’re okay.

And you definitely don’t have to do it alone.

If sharing my story helps even one person reach out instead of suffering in silence, then I’ll know there was a reason for every uncomfortable minute.

So this one is for the people struggling quietly.

For the people we miss.

For the people still fighting.

And for anyone who needs the reminder…

You matter. More than you probably realise. 🤍

If you’re struggling, please talk to someone. Send the text. Make the call. Knock on someone’s door.

You don’t have to have the right words.

Just start with, “I’m not ok!

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.