Lincoln Wymer

20 Hours of Silence for Youth Mental Health.

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

For 20 hours, I’ll be sitting in a 2 × 2 metre square in a warehouse alongside around 400 other participants. No talking, no phone or technology, no books and no outside distractions.

All I will have with me are my thoughts and the basics: a chair, sleeping mat, journal and pen, water and food.

For anyone who knows me, 20 hours without talking may be the biggest challenge of all.

But there is a serious reason behind doing this.

The challenge is designed to give us time to reflect on the isolation and struggle that people experiencing mental health challenges can face. I know sitting quietly in a warehouse for 20 hours cannot truly replicate what someone living with mental health challenges experiences, but hopefully it gives me some time to think, reflect and understand a little more.

So why am I doing it?

Like most people, I have seen the impact mental health can have through friends and people around me. There have been situations in my life that, looking back now, I probably understand differently than I did at the time.

Maybe being in my 50s has made me stop and rethink some of those experiences. Perhaps I can understand a little more, listen a little better and, while I’m at it, raise some money for an organisation trying to make a difference.

Suicide remains one of the leading causes of death among young Australians, and I’m taking on the 20 Hours for 20Talk Challenge to do my small part to support prevention, education and better conversations around mental health.

Money raised supports 20Talk’s mental health prevention and education work, including:

• $120 can put a young person through a one-day Mental Health Maintenance course
• Expanding 20Talk’s online resources and community
• Running large-scale interactive mental health events and programs

If you are able to donate, I would genuinely appreciate your support. If you can’t, that’s absolutely fine too. Even taking the time to read this and think about the reason behind the challenge is worthwhile.

Hopefully my small contribution, along with those of the hundreds of others taking part, can make a difference to someone who needs it.

And most importantly, if you ever need to chat, I am always here. 

Thank you

Lincoln