3 minute read
The Self-Presentation Guide
The Self-Preservation Guide
By Kristina Ruth
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HOW TO LEAVE A TOXIC RELATIONSHIP AND CHANGE YOUR LIFE
Are you stressed out, exhausted and anxious about your relationship? Are you stuck in your relationship and can't get out? This practical, helpful book by Kristina Ruth explains what a toxic relationship is and how to leave your toxic relationship safely. It also helps you understand why you are stuck, and how to transform your life from misery to happiness. This life changing book gives you all the tools you need to take a good look at your situation and the necessary steps to leave your toxic relationship in a safe and healthy way so you can not only survive but thrive. As our major capital cities are in lockdown, concerns for those in domestic violence situations have already heightened amongst frontline domestic violence services, who are already under a backlog of work from prior lockdowns. Despite a welcomed funding injection by our state and federal governments to promote safety in homes, workplaces and in the community, for many imprisoned and being terrorised behind closed doors it’s not going to help at all.
The culture of domestic violence in Australia has been left unchecked for far too long. The ‘band aid’ effect of scrambling to try and fix what has already been broken doesn’t help prevent people from entering toxic and dangerous relationships in the first place. We need to be starting at the beginning. Understanding the warning signs and spotting ‘red flags’ so people can avoid these potentially fatal relationships before they even start. This will help our community become more vigilant and aware of behaviours that are not ok on first sight of them. Author Kristina Ruth knows first-hand what many women face. “I know these red flags,” said Kristina.
“If only we understood that they were precursors to many of the more serious toxic and abusive relationships, people would have had the chance to avoid these relationships completely. “I found there was so little information out there. If there was, a lot of victims may have been armed with the knowledge to avoid their toxic relationship. It’s incredible how few people realise these behaviours are warning bells and or are toxic behaviours and all of a sudden find themselves in a situation they don’t know how to get out of. “After speaking with many other women, I began compiling a guide-book called The Self-Preservation Guide. In it, I have not only explained the different types of abusive such as physical, emotional, and financial abuse, I’ve also listed out red flags.” Some common red flags all of us have seen such as: stalking, public shows of humiliation such as put downs, bouts of jealousy when you spend time with friends or family, and constant dominating behaviours that make you feel like you need to walk on eggshells, to the lesser known and talked about ones like; control masked to look like obsessive affection.
“We as a community need to know none of these behaviours are acceptable, and all of them are classed as warning signs and the beginnings of what can very likely transform into an abusive relationship. With more education around these behaviours from the media for example, we can help our community become safer. We need to, because abusers will always be out there, we can however avoid them. “Prevention is always a better option and through education we can also help those who exhibit these behaviours to break the cycle,” said Kristina. “The Self-Preservation Guide is a practical tool and valuable resource to help people understand what a toxic relationship looks like, how to break free of that relationship and build a safe and happy life for themselves.”
