20 Hours, No Phone, No Talking: Why I’m Sitting in a 2-Metre Square for Youth Mental Health
Imagine this. You, a 2-metre square space, no technology, no talking, and 20 hours stretching out ahead of you. No scrolling, no checking emails, no podcast in the background, no quick text to a friend. Just you. Sitting with yourself.
That’s exactly what I’ll be doing on 28 and 29 March 2026 at the Claremont Showgrounds in Perth as part of the 20 Hours for 20Talk challenge. And I’ll be honest — part of me is deeply curious, part of me is already squirming, and all of me knows this matters.
Why 20Talk?
I’m participating in this event because I’m passionate about being proactive with our self-care and wellbeing, and I want to advocate for better ways of working and living. Youth mental health is something that touches all of us — whether we’re parents, educators, mentors, colleagues, or community members. The 20Talk challenge raises funds to support young people’s mental health, and the way it does this is what grabbed my attention. It doesn’t ask you to run a marathon or abseil down a building. It asks you to stop. To be still. To sit with yourself without the usual buffers we’ve built around us.
And isn’t that one of the most confronting — and revealing — things we could do?
The Self-Care Paradox
We talk a lot about self-care. We share quotes, we buy the journals, we set the intentions. But how often do we actually sit with ourselves long enough to hear what we need? So many of our self-care practices are active — moving, doing, creating, consuming content that feels nourishing. And those things are wonderful. But there’s something profoundly different about stripping everything back and being in your own company without distraction.
This challenge flips the script on what self-care can look like. It’s not about adding something to your day. It’s about taking everything away and seeing what’s left. What comes up when there’s nothing to reach for? What does your mind do when it can’t scroll, plan, or problem-solve its way through?
I’ve written before about morning routines and the first conversation we have with ourselves each day. This challenge extends that question across 20 hours. What will the conversation with myself sound like when there’s nothing else competing for my attention? I suspect it will shift — from restlessness, to boredom, to something quieter and more honest. And I think that’s where the gold is.
What This Has to Do With Wellbeing at Work
Part of my reason for taking this on is connected to how we work. We live in a culture that equates busyness with value, constant availability with commitment, and productivity with worth. I’ve explored this before through the lens of quiet flourishing — the idea that success doesn’t have to be loud, and that setting boundaries and reconnecting with what genuinely sustains us is not opting out, it’s opting in to something healthier.
Sitting in a 2-metre square for 20 hours is, in many ways, a radical act of boundary-setting. It says: I am choosing to be unavailable. I am choosing stillness over output. I am choosing to be present with myself, not because I’ve earned a break, but because this is a valid and necessary way of being.
And it’s also an act of advocacy. By doing something this visible — this uncomfortable, this counter-cultural — I hope it sparks conversations about how we prioritise mental health, especially for young people who are growing up in a world that rarely models stillness or self-compassion.
What I’m Expecting (and What I’m Not)
I’m not expecting this to be easy. I’m expecting waves — moments of calm followed by fidgeting, followed by deep thinking, followed by wondering how much time has passed. I’m expecting to learn things about myself that I can’t access when my days are full of doing. I’m expecting it to be both boring and profound, possibly at the same time.
What I’m not expecting is perfection. This isn’t about proving I can do hard things. It’s about showing up — for myself, for the cause, and for the broader conversation about what it means to truly care for our wellbeing.
Coach Yourself
As I prepare for this challenge, I’ve been sitting with some questions that I think are worth sharing. Whether or not you’re participating in 20Talk, these are worth exploring:
∙ When was the last time you spent an extended period without technology? What did you notice about yourself?
∙ What does stillness feel like in your body? Is it comfortable, restless, peaceful, unsettling — or a mixture?
∙ If you couldn’t distract yourself for 20 hours, what do you think would surface? What conversations with yourself might finally have space to happen?
∙ How much of your daily self-care is about doing, and how much is about simply being?
∙ What would it look like to advocate for youth mental health in your own community, workplace, or family? What’s one proactive step you could take this week?
∙ If someone you care about — a young person in your life — were struggling, would they know it’s safe to talk to you? What signals are you sending?
It Takes a Village
I believe wellbeing is relational. We need each other — for inspiration, accountability, encouragement, and sometimes just for the comfort of knowing someone else is navigating similar terrain. That’s part of what drew me to the Citizen Wellbeing Scientist approach: the idea that when we document and share our experiences, we contribute to something bigger than ourselves.
So I’ll be sharing this journey — before, during (well, after — no technology, remember), and in the reflection that follows. I’d love for you to be part of that conversation, whether you’re cheering from afar, sponsoring the cause, or sitting in your own 2-metre square alongside me.
If nothing else, I hope this challenge reminds us all that sometimes the most powerful thing we can do for our wellbeing is nothing at all. And that supporting youth mental health isn’t just about funding services — it’s about modelling the kind of self-awareness, stillness, and compassion we want young people to know is possible.
Twenty hours. One small square. No distractions. Let’s see what happens.
In order to raise funds for mental health charity 20Talk, I'm going to take on the challenge of sitting in a 2 metre square box for 20 hours with no technology and no talking. This challenge will be a small look into the day of someone struggling with mental health. All I will have is my own thoughts, a journal and a chair to sit on.
So why am I doing this?
We have all been touched in some way or another by the reality of mental health. It can be dark, lonely, and confronting.
Structurally, the statistics are still alarming..
- Suicide still 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)
I'm completing the 20 Hours for 20Talk to turn these statistics around. Your contribution goes towards 20Talk's relatable prevention campaigns. They are a mental health charity that makes education cool and accessible, for young people by young people.
Your generous donations go towards:
- Every $120 puts a young person through a one day Mental Health Maintenance cours
- Expanding 20Talk's online resources and 60,000+ social media community
- Running large-scale interactive mental health events
By improving mental health literacy, removing harmful stigma, and encouraging professional help-seeking we are preventing people from getting people into crisis in the first place.
Thank you for taking the time to read this post and for donating to the cause. Hopefully this small challenge can help change someone’s life.
If you ever need to chat, I’m always here. Love you all and thanks again!
