A Wandering Path
The story of one young woman’s journey to self-rediscovery, healing, and personal empowerment.
Available Now on BookBaby, Amazon, and Select Indie Bookstores.
Anyone who has experienced hardship can empathize with feeling stuck or unsure of themself.
But for victims of long-term trauma, the healing process and path to self-discovery is a long and winding road.
Anna Isabel Garrison’s adult life began harshly, complete with police sirens flickering outside her childhood bedroom as she packed clothes into garbage bags. But while those days were tough, she had to keep moving. She kept busy by overachieving, overworking, and people-pleasing to ignore the pain.
By her early twenties, Anna thought she had life figured out. She was recently engaged, owned a house, and had built a successful career. So why was she depressed, bitter, and resentful? Only after a three-day stint at a remote cabin in the woods did she slow down enough to realize that the perfectionistic coping strategies she used to ignore her unhealed trauma were negatively impacting her quality of life.
A Wandering Path is a gripping and inspirational memoir that combines elements of self-reflection as the author narrates her difficult journey out of trauma and into healing and fulfillment. Her story provides a vulnerable and hopeful perspective on how one young woman can slow down, reconcile with the past, reconnect with nature, and lay the foundation to a happier, healthier future.
What inspired your story?
Frequently asked questions:
Growing up, I had everything I could ever need, but also faced challenges. One was that my home wasn’t an emotionally safe place to make mistakes. This spurred me toward a life of people pleasing, perfectionism, and a tendency to over-work. As an adult, I worked long hours, always trying to make an impact, but seldom prioritized my own mental or physical health. But over time, my body had had enough. This was the start of my journey toward slowing down, entering trauma therapy, and healing from the challenges that made me a people-pleaser in the first place.
Is this a self-help book?
No. A Wandering Path is Creative Nonfiction: a combination of a memoir (personal story), and a reflection of the strategies I’ve learned to help me heal from perfectionism and people-pleasing. The difference between this story and a self-help book is that I’m not sharing prescriptive information, but instead giving the reader a glimpse into my own story to help shed light on ways they can grow and heal, too.
Where can I purchase it?
A Wandering Path is currently available for purchase through my distributor, BookBaby, on Amazon, and at Finch & Fern bookstore in Downtown Sylvania, Ohio.
Who is your ideal audience?
A Wandering Path is written for anyone who struggles with perfectionism, people-pleasing, over-working, or anxiety, or who desires to know themselves better.
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