Comedian is overcoming anxiety to do stand-up

A comedian says performing on stage has helped him to cope with anxiety.

Aaron Weight has run an improv comedy group across the East of England since 2019 which he says has helped him embrace a "see what happens" mentality.

The 37-year-old from Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, has recently ventured into stand-up and has performed six times so far.

He said his anxiety was "still bad... but better than it used to be".

Aaron said his anxiety "stretches back to around 2010 - that's when I first started noticing it".

"I used to have really bad social anxiety which meant in some of my old jobs I would never go out and socialise and I would turn down invites," he said.

"Since I've got older I've gotten over that a bit; it's still bad these days but better than it used to be."

Aaron is still yet to be given an official diagnosis but he has been "through the wellbeing pathways" a number of times.

Anxiety is defined as a feeling of worry, nervousness, or unease about something with an uncertain outcome and the NHS website says it is common to have it alongside panic disorder and phobias.

Has it held Aaron back in his comedy career?

"Yeah, unfortunately it has. Just the other day I had to cancel going to a spot because my mental health was so bad," he said.

"It was run by people who I have come to see as good friends and that's what led me to make the decision so late, because I really did not want to let them down, but it got to a point on that day where I felt like I just really could not do it.

"It would have made me even more erratic on stage. I felt it would have let everyone else down and made my mental health worse.

"Even just taking the plunge and putting myself forward for things takes a bit of getting over because the anxiety is also a bit of a barrier there."

Insert Laughter Here, the comedy company that Weight runs, has enjoyed success with its Spin-A-Play shows that are built on the actors' ability to improvise on a theme determined by the spin of a wheel.

Aaron is committed to gaining more experience and exposure on the stand-up scene.

He said: "Everyone has been so supportive and wonderful.

"I've been fighting that anxiety, because with improv I don't have to worry - there is no script and whatever I say is right, whereas stand-up is a bit more crafted and you have to be more considerate with what you say.

"Comedy seems like such an aggressive industry and, don't get me wrong, it can be, but the people I have met in the few shows that I have done have shown me that it doesn't have to be that way."

There is a wealth of comedic competition across the East of England and Aaron said it was really easy to throw his hat in the ring for opportunities, but much harder to be considered for them because of the volume of people vying to do it.

"This is like my second side quest," he said.

"I have a boring day job; my improv is like my first side quest and the comedy is my superhero identity.

"At the weekends I can be silly, I can mess around and I can be colourful."

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