A Dumbarton man who struggles with his mental health has challenged himself by taking part in two fundraising events.
Jonathan Soutar-Findlay will be partaking in a newcomers stand-up comedy night at Cranside Kitchen in Glasgow on November 27, as well as a 24-hour sponsored silence starting on November 6, for Cancer Research UK.
The 33-year-old has been struggling with his mental health all his life and is currently in the process of being diagnosed with ADHD.
He has admitted doing the two fundraisers for the charity, which was chosen by organisers, will be a real challenge for him due to his difficulties.
He said: “I have always had mental health issues.
“There has always been stuff there, but I have always put it down to trauma from being bullied.
“It wasn’t until I started hearing stories from mental health patients that I thought there might be something wrong with me.
“I have always been your typical man who has pushed it to the side, but it took until I had a massive breakdown around seven years ago when I first went to the doctors about it.
“I have had multiple different diagnoses, like heavy depression and anxiety.
“Then I had another breakdown in January, and a good friend of my husband, who is a psychiatric nurse, said that it sounds like I have ADHD.
“I am on every antidepressant under the sun, but there are still issues there. I am in the process of getting diagnosed with ADHD.
“So to do a sponsored silence when you potentially have ADHD is extra tough and makes you feel very uncomfortable. It’s one of the hardest things I could possibly do.”
Through having to deal with things like anxiety, Jonathan confesses that doing his first-ever stand-up performance for charity has really amped up the pressure.
He said: “I come from a performance background, and I have been in a dead-end job for the past 10 years, so I missed performing.
“I reached out to a comedy coach called Vivian, and she introduced me to a charity comedy night where you get eight weeks of free coaching before doing your first performance for charity.
“Before I knew it, the comedy night was right around the corner.
“It will be my first-ever performance, and there is a wee bit more pressure because you’re representing a charity in a way, and I can be quite crude and rude.
“It has always been one of my biggest fears, especially the fear of telling a joke and no one laughing.”
To support Jonathan, visit - https://justgiving.com/fundraising/jonathan-soutar-findlay
