Maddy Ladanyi

20 Hours of Silence for Youth Mental Health.

I often talk about seeking discomfort. And for me, that has taken many forms.

Hiking. Skydiving. Caving. Joining a footy team. Running. Fasting. Running while fasting.

But these things all have common themes:

Movement.

Adrenaline.

Pushing my body to its limit.

When really, there is something that is much more uncomfortable for me. Something that I spend a lot of my time trying to avoid…

Stillness.

Silence.

On December 6, I will be taking part in the 20 Hours for 20Talk Challenge, which will see me sitting in a 2×2 metre square in a warehouse, alongside around 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.

I will have no phone to pick up, no music to put on, no show to turn to and no conversation to fill the silence.

And nowhere for me to walk to.

I will simply have to sit there. For 20 hours.

So why am I doing this?

This challenge is designed to be a small glimpse into the isolation and struggle that someone with mental health challenges might feel every day. And while it will be challenging - mentally, physically and emotionally - 20 hours in a warehouse cannot truly replicate what it is like to live with a mental illness.

Because this experience is chosen. And those of us taking part will know that it has an end.

Something that not many people know about me is that, for most of my life, I have struggled with my mental health. I have lived with depression and anxiety, and I have experienced trauma that has had a profound impact on the way I experience myself and the world.

I have experienced suicidal thoughts. I have experienced periods where those thoughts have become more than thoughts, and where staying alive has required an enormous amount of effort.

And for a lot of that time, I have experienced it in isolation.

Talking about mental health is hard. Talking about suicide is even harder.

So, a lot of us become very good at hiding how much we are struggling. We still work. We still exercise. We still laugh with friends, make plans, show up for people and carry on with everyday life.

We can look okay. Even when we are far from it.

Structurally, the statistics are still alarming:

• Suicide remains the leading cause of death for young people aged 15–44.
• Only 2% of mental health funding goes towards prevention (Mental Health Commission, 2022).

20Talk is a mental health charity working to improve mental health literacy and prevention, helping people develop the knowledge and tools to look after their mental health before reaching crisis point.

This is important to me because I know what it can look like when things have already reached that point. And to not know how to reach out and talk about it.

I believe that we will only see a shift in prevention when we become more willing to sit in what is uncomfortable. Because only then will we be able to have open and honest conversations about all things mental health, no matter which side of the conversation we are on.

If you’re able to donate, I would be incredibly grateful. (Continue reading below for information on what your donation supports).

And if you can’t, that’s okay. Sharing this along, starting a conversation, or asking someone how they are (and really listening to the answer) matters too.

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Your generous donation goes towards:

• Every $120 puts a person through a one-day Mental Health Maintenance course
• Expanding 20Talk’s online resources and 60,000+ social media community
• Running large-scale interactive mental health events

What is Mental Health Maintenance?

Mental Health Maintenance (MHM) is a free, one-day workshop designed with industry experts to help individuals better understand and engage with different areas of their wellbeing, as well as learn effective ways to monitor them. MHM is designed to support people by equipping them with the knowledge and tools to maintain their mental wellbeing before reaching crisis point. By improving mental health literacy, reducing harmful stigma and encouraging professional help-seeking, this workshop hopes to prevent people from reaching crisis in the first place. To learn more, please visit 20talk.com.au.