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INCLUDE LAMB’S LETTUCE IN YOUR DIET

2024-05-28 -

COMIC ROYALTY: Tom in BBC sitcom ‘King Gary’

And Owl podcast with fellow comedian Romesh Ranganathan. “But sometimes inside, if I was actually pulled apart, I was really quite lost and broken.”

Being in the comedy world made it easy to “put a mask on”, and Tom also admits now he would often avoid seeing people when he was struggling.

“I used to do a lot of not going to things, and sort of feigning that I had something else on so I wouldn’t have to let on [that I wasn’t OK],” he says. “In retrospect, I wish I’d gone out and actually opened up a bit.”

Learning to open up more is “genuinely one of the best things” he’s done when it comes to his wellbeing, he adds.

“What you realise quite quickly is that you’re not alone,” he says. “I think it’s really easy to feel like you’re an island, and you can wallow in that a little bit. For me, at times, that can become almost quite overwhelming.

“But once you start opening up and talking to people about it... The number of times people go, ‘Oh, I feel like that sometimes’, or ‘I’ve got this’, or ‘I found this helped’. Talking things through important.”

It’s why he’s teamed up with Beavertown Brewery and the suicide prevention charity Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM) on a new campaign to help highlight and tackle the topic.

Research on behalf of the campaign found over half (56%) of Brits have pretended to be OK to avoid talking about their mental health. What’s more, nearly half (46%) of the 18-44-year-olds surveyed said they wouldn’t know how to start a conversation with friends about it. Beavertown and CALM have launched a new crisps range to help spark mental health conversations in pubs – with ‘conversation starter’ prompts printed inside the packets. “I think we’re all aware at the moment, more and more people seem to be struggling with their mental health,” says Tom. “And it’s really easy to just say, ‘Talk to someone about it.’ But actually opening the conversation up can be really intimidating at times. So, I think this is a really great idea.” He’s now a lot more confident talking with his close friends and wife about how he’s feeling – and says it really helps.

“For example, this week and wife Kathryn is really, really

IT’S GOOD TO TALK: Tom Davis has launched a new initiative encouraging people to talk about mental health

I had quite a lot of pressure on and started to feel quite low. I talked to my wife about it, I talked to a friend about it, and before you know it, the next day I wake up and I feel better, because I’ve let it out, I’ve discussed it, I’ve let people know.”

He’s also become more mindful of the early signs that his wellbeing is suffering, and prioritising selfcare: “I think exercise is so important. For me, the biggest one is walking, just being out and having a walk, whether that’s with someone I’m working with or on my own. That really helps me and helps my thought processes.

“And I never thought I’d say this – I was a bit sceptical about cold water plunging – but then I tried that and that’s incredible.

“It’s about anything you find that helps you. For me, the big point is trying to grab something before it all becomes overwhelming, before that cloud sets in for a while.

“And it’s OK to open up and let yourself go, you know what, let me be vulnerable here. It makes you a stronger person to say those things.”

Tom Davis has partnered with Beavertown Brewery and CALM’s ‘Open Up’ initiative. Limited-edition Cheddar & Jalapeno-flavoured crisps, containing conversation starters to encourage more meaningful conversations, are now available in participating UK pubs.