Livewell Southwest’s Plymouth Options team has won the praise and thanks of a ‘lifelong ‘worrier’ who was so inspired by the support she received that she has written and published a book to help others.
Hayley Silk says she has always labelled herself a ‘worrier’ but two years ago, during a particularly difficult time in her life when her worrying was out of control, Hayley sought help from her GP and was referred to Livewell’s Plymouth Options service.
After an initial assessment, she attended a stress management course. She said: “During that course I learnt a lot about myself. I felt safe in the group and comforted that I wasn’t alone with this issue.
“It made me realise that I was an extreme ‘worrier’ as well as dealing with the stress of what was happening in my life at the time, and that was like an epiphany. It made me decide I didn’t want to be a ‘worrier’ anymore and was determined to make a change.”
As a qualified life coach for a decade, Hayley recognises worrying in other people. And her course with Plymouth Options prompted her to see how she combine her professional skills and personal experiences to help a wider audience. The result is her book, Be a Warrior Not a Worrier: An Enlightening Approach to Conquering 12 Everyday Worries, described as “an empowering read for people who are worriers”.
It’s a self-help book which addresses specific worries that many people have in common and offers practical solutions, advice and inspirational stories for conquering each one.
It covers concerns about work, money, relationships, change, health, the future and death. But Hayley says often the most debilitating worries are about people’s own perceptions of themselves, such as their appearance, what others think of them, failure, being happy, and generally feeling they are not good enough.
The book was launched at Waterstones in Plymouth in April and promptly scooped the 2018 Independent Book Awards for excellence in Motivational Self-Help.
Hayley said: “The help I received from Plymouth Options gave me the wake-up that I needed at that time in my life. Part of the course they delivered included a section about worrying and it was this part of the course that spoke to me the most. I felt I could admit my suffering without judgement, was given very useful insights and tools and this ultimately led me to feel inspired and brave enough to carry on with a new-found strength.
“I cannot thank the staff enough for the help I received. For me it was life changing and I would highly recommend it.”
Find out more, including how to buy the book, at www.beawarrior.co.uk
Plymouth Options is the Anxiety and Depression Service provided by Livewell Southwest CIC. Find out more here.
