‘It’s changed my life forever’: Eastbourne carpenter makes waves on social media by talking about mental health

Lewis Allistone works as a carpenter, but in his spare time he’s been sharing advice on mental health on social media, gaining more than 300,000 followers and some of his videos getting eight million views.

He said it all started when his mental health was struggling by being stuck at home through lockdown last year. He wasn’t working so didn’t have anything to do through the day.

Lewis said, “Mental health kicked in being stuck at home facing the same four walls day in and day out, I was spending so much time worrying and being stressed over nothing.”

This caused him to find TikTok a video sharing social media platform that really took off in popularity last year. Lewis said it would ‘take his mind off things’ that were causing him problems with his mental health.

He said, “During lockdown I wasn’t working because I was self-employed and wasn’t a key worker, so having not a lot really to do meant social media became my thing on the daily.

“It helped me get through my dark days and I wanted to try impact and inspire people, so I took the opportunity to do so and here I am with 300,000 followers on TikTok. I have a mixture of content from pranks to funny reactions, advice and mental health awareness.

“Mental health is a big thing for me, and to be given the opportunity to help and inspire people daily is what gets me through mine. If I can make someone smile that makes me smile.”

Lewis said the response has been ‘amazing’.

He said, “I feel very touched and shocked that I have impacted so many lives. It’s changed my life forever. From having people sharing my videos, showing love, to people stopping me and asking for a picture and a chat, it’s amazing.

“Meeting people that I have helped and hearing their stories inspires me.”

Now, Lewis said he gets daily messages from people telling him how his videos have helped them.

He’s also set up his own mental health clothing brand called Silent Thoughts which works to raise awareness around the importance of mental health.

As for the future, Lewis said, “I’d love to take it further and look at helping thousands of others – being known as the guy that helps.”

Lewis’ Tiktok: https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMegH1XQC/

Lewis’ Instagram: officiallewallistone_

Silent Thoughts: https://www.victortrophies.com/shopdisplayproducts.asp?id=82&cat=Silent+Thoughts+by+Lewis+Allistone