7 years in the making, Sunshine Coast Author Kristina Ruth is now ready to share her legacy, a book which will help people understand toxic relationships and how to leave them safely for self-preservation.
The Self-Preservation Guide – How to leave a toxic relationship & change your life "aims to educate and empower readers" Ms Ruth says. The pocket-size guide also includes practical information to help support people through challenging situations associated with leaving a toxic relationship.
"This book will be a life-changing epiphany for so many, guiding them through ways to attain self-awareness, self-realisation and self-respect." Ms Ruth said. "It will help them find their defining moment to transform their lives from misery and fear to happiness and freedom."
Ms Ruth was driven to write this book because of the harrowing statistic that in Australia one in three women has experienced physical violence since the age of fifteen¹, and more horrifically, more than one woman is killed by her current or former partner every week in domestic violence related incidents.²
"As lockdowns come and go due to Covid-19, the problem is only getting worse. We have an obligation as a society to change the way we are dealing with this national crisis by educating those around us on how to recognise a toxic relationship" Ms Ruth said.
Ms Ruth says creating The Self-Preservation Guide has been a labour of love, but there were also many challenges she had to overcome.
"For a long time, I've wanted to write this book to educate, empower, support, and inspire other people to change their lives but there was also a lot of self-doubt and negative self-talk that I had to conquer to start. Writing it has taught me about being brave enough to start the conversation, and I hope it encourages others to put fear aside to have those critical conversations" Ms Ruth said.
Self-preservation is a basic human instinct, one that prompts us to protect oneself from harm or even death. "I knew I wanted self-preservation in the title from the very beginning." Ms Ruth said. "In fact, it was the very first thing that came to me when I first had the idea of writing the book."
May is Domestic and Family Violence Prevention Month (DFVP Month) in Queensland.
The Self-Preservation Guide is available online at all good retailers.
