Sharla Luckhurst-Martin

Why I really want to do the 20hours for 20talk

The closer I get to this challenge, the more I’ve been thinking about why I actually wanted to do it.

Mental health has been a part of my life for a very long time. I’ve struggled with a lot over the years, including anxiety, eating disorders and periods where things have become overwhelming enough that I’ve needed hospital support.

I don’t really want to go into all the details of those experiences, but they’ve shaped who I am and how I see mental health today.

I know what it’s like to struggle quietly.

To not really know how to ask for help, or to drop little hints that you’re not okay and hope someone notices. Sometimes even knowing what you need can be difficult, let alone finding the words to say it.

I’ve also been surrounded by friends and family who have struggled with their own mental health, and I’ve experienced the heartbreak of losing people I love to suicide.

So this isn’t something I’m doing because mental health is simply a cause I care about.

It’s something I understand personally.

And that’s a big part of why I want to take on these 20 hours.

For 20 hours, I’ll have no phone, no music, no scrolling and no usual distractions. Just a 2×2 metre square, a journal and myself.

Honestly, that sounds pretty intimidating.

But I also think it could be something I need.

I want to give myself some time to slow down and reflect on everything I’ve been through. To sit with some of the feelings I normally keep busy enough to avoid, and hopefully understand myself a little better.

I’m not expecting 20 hours to magically fix anything. Mental health doesn’t work that way.

But maybe I’ll come out the other side feeling a little lighter. Maybe I’ll learn something about myself. Maybe I’ll simply prove to myself that I can sit with uncomfortable thoughts and feelings without needing to immediately escape them.

And while I’m doing that for myself, I want it to help someone else too.

20Talk focuses on mental health education and prevention, particularly for young people. I want to help give people some of the knowledge, tools and support I wish I’d had earlier in my own life.

If these 20 hours can contribute to that, then every uncomfortable moment will be worth it.

Thank you to everyone who has donated, shared my fundraiser, checked in on me or simply taken the time to read this.

It genuinely means a lot.

Twenty hours, one little square, and hopefully something good on the other side. ❤️

20 Hours of Silence for Youth Mental Health.

On Sunday 6th December, I’ll be doing something that, if I’m being completely honest, scares the shit out of me.

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

For 20 hours, I’ll be sitting in a 2×2 metre square inside a warehouse, alongside around 400 other people. No talking. No phone. No music. No TV. No distractions.

Just a chair, a sleeping mat, a journal, food, water and myself.

This challenge is a small glimpse into the isolation and struggle that someone experiencing mental health challenges might feel every single day. For 20 hours, I’ll have to sit with my own thoughts, feelings and emotions, without the usual distractions or ways of escaping them.

And honestly… that sounds pretty scary to me.

But I also know there’s a reason I’m doing it.

Why 20Talk?

Mental health isn't something I've only recently become aware of. I've struggled with my own mental health my whole life.

I know what it feels like to not know what to say. To not know how to ask for help. To want someone to notice that you're not okay without actually being able to say the words “I'm not okay.”

I've spent endless nights sitting on a cold floors, trying to get through whatever was happening inside my own head. I've struggled to speak up, even when I desperately needed someone to know I was struggling.

Sometimes the signs aren't obvious.

Sometimes asking for help looks like a little hint that you hope someone will pick up on.

Sometimes you make a joke instead of saying what you actually mean.

Sometimes you say “I'm fine” because you don't know how to explain that you're anything but.

And I've been on both sides of that.

I've watched friends and family struggle with their own mental health. I've experienced the helplessness of wanting to make things better for someone and not knowing how.

I've also lost friends, family and partners to suicide.

So when I talk about mental health, I'm not talking about something that's distant from me. It's been a part of my life for a very long time.

And I know how hard it can be to actually do something to help yourself.

That's one of the reasons 20Talk means so much to me.

I wish I'd had more of this kind of education when I was younger. I wish I'd understood my own mental health better. I wish I'd known what the warning signs looked like, how to look after myself before things became overwhelming, and that asking for help didn't mean I'd failed.

I want to help give other people some of the support I always wished I had.

That's what I'm hoping this challenge can contribute to.

20Talk is a mental health charity working to make mental health education more relatable and accessible, particularly for young people. Their focus is on prevention  giving people the knowledge and tools to look after themselves before they reach crisis point.

And that matters.

The statistics are still confronting:

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

Behind every statistic is a person.

A family.

A friend.

Someone who was here one day and wasn't the next.

That's why every donation matters to me.

Every $120 can put a young person through one whole day of Mental Health Maintenance.

One whole day of learning how to understand and look after their mental wellbeing.

That's huge.

It might be the thing that helps someone recognise that they're struggling. It might give them the confidence to speak up. It might help them understand what they're feeling before it gets to a point where they don't know what to do anymore.

And that's why even a small donation can make a difference.

What is Mental Health Maintenance?

Mental Health Maintenance (MHM) is a free, one-day workshop developed with industry experts to help people better understand different areas of their wellbeing and learn practical ways to monitor and maintain it.

The aim is to give people the knowledge and tools to look after their mental health before reaching crisis point.

It focuses on improving mental health literacy, breaking down stigma and encouraging people to seek professional help when they need it.

I think that's something we could all benefit from.

Because we learn so much about looking after our physical health, but we're not always taught what to do when our mind starts struggling.

You can learn more about 20Talk and Mental Health Maintenance at www.20talk.com.au.

And then there's the challenge itself.

I know this is going to be a real challenge for me.

Twenty hours.

A 2×2 metre square.

No phone.

No technology.

No talking.

Just a notepad, my thoughts and me.

For someone who has spent a lot of time struggling inside their own head, that is a pretty confronting thought.

But that's also part of why I want to do it.

For me, this isn't just about sitting in a square for 20 hours.

It's going to be 20 hours of slowing down.

Of reflecting on things I've been through.

Of sitting with feelings and emotions that I don't always let myself deal with.

Of being completely disconnected from everything outside of that little square and finally having nowhere to run to, scroll to or distract myself with.

And hopefully, somewhere on the other side of those 20 hours, finding a little bit of peace in it all.

I don't know exactly what those 20 hours are going to bring up for me.

Maybe it'll be uncomfortable.

Maybe it'll be emotional.

Maybe it'll be boring as hell.

Maybe it'll be all three.

But I'm willing to sit with it.

Because if putting myself through 20 hours of discomfort can help someone else get the support they need, then I'll happily do it.

And if it also gives me the chance to stop, breathe and reflect on everything I've carried for so long, then maybe I need this challenge too.

So if you can donate, anything helps.

$1 helps.

$10 helps.

$120 could put a young person through an entire day of Mental Health Maintenance.

And if you can't donate, that's okay too. Sharing this, talking about mental health, checking in on someone you love, or simply being willing to listen can mean more than you realise.

Thank you for taking the time to read my story and for supporting me through this.

I really hope that these 20 hours can help contribute to making someone else's struggle a little less lonely and maybe help someone get the support I wish I'd known how to ask for.

Love You All

And if you ever need someone to talk to, I'm always here.