Introducing Seann Walsh, new CALM ambassador
Seann was the final performer for the CALM Comedy Club, a live-streamed comedy series that took place at the end of April. He finished the week of shows by sharing his love of Ghostbusters, the contents of his fridge, and some hilarious impersonations.
But jokes aside, Seann hopes he’ll be able to bring awareness to CALM’s life-saving services: “Suicide is the single biggest killer of men under 45 in the UK and the cause of 18 deaths every day. Having been close myself, I know how important it is to have the support to help turn things around”.
“If I can contribute to help spread awareness of CALM and the support that they offer to prevent suicide, it would be a huge honour.”
Back in 2018 Seann’s personal and professional life collided. After a relationship breakdown in the public eye, and a lot of public and personal scrutiny, Seann has had to face up to his mental wellbeing in a whole new way. Today, he’s up front about the struggles he’s been through and continues to go through. Returning to comedy is one of the things that helped him to move forwards.
Completing our line up for Comedy Against Living Miserably tonight at 9pm is the @seannwalsh!
— Dave (@davechannel) April 22, 2020
We bothered Seann for a few minutes to ask how being honest about your mental health and talking openly can help people. pic.twitter.com/bXDx6R8h9y
“I am fortunate to be part of an industry where talking openly is a big part of the job, but it can also be a very lonely job. I think it’s particularly great for younger comics to have comedians of an older generation speaking out about mental health so they can be more prepared for what lies ahead, especially with the ever-growing formidable world of social media.”
Mates can also make a massive difference to your mental health. And for Seann, talking to friends always makes him feel better: “Often, if I’m feeling low or getting what feels close to a panic attack, I will call them. I don’t always call to tell them what I’m going through but to simply take a break from my own mind. I always come out the other end of those calls feeling better.”
“I am very fortunate to have a close group of friends that are always on the other end of the phone.”
Other than chatting to his mates, Sean has developed ways to keep his mental wellbeing in check. And one, perhaps surprising, technique he uses to do just that is running. In fact, he believes it helped him turn his life around.
I never thought these words would exit from my mouth, but running has changed my life. I am someone that is very much crippled with anxiety and there is nothing in the day that I don’t feel better equipped for after a run. I can wake in the morning with dread of the day ahead and immediately u-turn that feeling with a run. It is always accompanied with music. Running without music is a stage I have yet to reach and a stage I have no ambition of reaching but as the kids say ‘you do you’.”