Trinity Gerrans

Trinity is taking on the 20-hour challenge to support youth mental health and raise awareness about the importance of prevention.

Trinity QUIET?!?!

Yes you read that correctly I’m not gonna talk for 20 hours….

When I started writing this I kept coming to the same conclusion, I have a million and one reasons to do this. From my loved ones struggles, to my own, I have witnessed first hand the negative impacts that mental health, disability and neurodevelopmental/nervous system disorders [ASD and ADHD] can have.

I guess the key reason as to why I’m doing this:

It’s okay to not be okay

It’s okay to be silent

It’s okay to want to be alone

It’s okay to be emotional

It’s okay to be loud

It’s okay to say no

often and loudly

In essence

It’s okay to be you

In whatever way that is

Media, education and social interactions constantly expect us to show up in ways that often aren’t possible. Receiving a late diagnosis for both Autism and ADHD, wildly stunted my ability to develop and succeed to the best of my potential. And whilst I may have not been dealt the best hand, I’m playing to win no matter the odds.

We are all people, everyday facing challenges that we aren’t prepared for.

People are similar to trees; only growing a few centimetres every year, with many branches to care for as we have many relationships and pursuits to manage. If there is one thing you take away from this is

Please be patient,

With yourself,

With your friends

With your family

With strangers

So as to not ramble on [I have rewritten this 7 times] if you’d like to donate go ahead, however if you can’t that is no problemo. If you have a minute to share my page that would mean the absolute world to me.

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. Many of us struggle in silence. Many of us unaware as to where these feelings develop. Many of us saturated ourselves with social activities and social media to distracted from our negative feelings. Many of us feel alone. Many of us struggle to be alone. We all struggle.

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 $300 puts a young person through a two-day Mental Health First Aid course
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!