Monday 17 August 2015

The Anxious Girl's Guide to Dating.


When I split up with my ex in 2007 after my year of anxiety filled torture, I went into a downward spiral when it came to dating, choosing the wrong person seemed to be the norm for long enough until I met James in 2009. Before meeting him I had resigned myself to a life of being alone and making silly decisions.  I blamed the fact I had been through a tough time for the mistakes I made, but now, I look back and see a girl who was making mistakes that everyone else probably made on the rocky road to finding the one, and I have Hattie C Cooper to thank for changing my outlook.



When Hattie contacted me and asked would I like to read her book, The Anxious Girl's Guide to Dating, I jumped at the chance. I had a very strong feeling that I would be able to relate to her story and I was right. It was honestly as if I had written the book myself, my life story flashed before my eyes, the thought processes, the experiences, everything seemed to remind me of my younger self even before I met my roommate anxiety (yes I do call anxiety my roommate)

At the start of the book there is a great explanation of what anxiety is and what symptoms manifest when you are feeling anxious. I was actually mentally ticking them off.

Every chapter is filled with a mixture of her experiences and amazing advice.  Being honest this book is not just for someone who lives with anxiety, this book is for everyone who is waiting to find the one, has their eye on someone or even someone like me who is married.

The advice is honestly incredible.  Without giving too much away, you will find advice on accepting yourself for who you are, looking after your health, taking your time when it comes to relationships, trusting your instinct (which is correct 99.9% of the time!) being open and honest and most importantly just to be yourself.

Another part of the book, which I loved, was the section on being with someone who has anxiety. The book helps to educate those who have a loved one living with anxiety and gives great advice on how to connect with them.  30 minutes per day to talk about how you both feel. Perfect advice and this is something James and I do almost every day.  It helps us both to vent what is annoying us or lets us talk about the positives.

I cannot recommend this book enough. As I say you don't need to be living with anxiety to relate.

If you would like to find out more about Hattie C Cooper you can visit her website here and you can also follow her over on Twitter here

To purchase a copy for yourself you can go to Amazon UK (Kindle version priced at £3.84)



40 comments:

  1. I can think of quite a few people that would love this book

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  2. It's good that you have found a writer that you can relate to and her book is helping you. I think that anything that helps us know ourselves better is useful and we can only change what we know about and acknowledge.

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    1. So very true! I felt so much better about myself after reading this book x

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  3. Anxiety is so hard to understand to someone who has never suffered from it. I suffered for years and still avoid certain situations, I'm married now so not sure my hubby would be happy if he saw me reading this, he turns 40 this week so may think i'm planning on trading him in for a younger model!! lol

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    1. It is very hard for them to understand. I have found myself explaining the symptoms etc to my husband a few times as it is different every day. hahaha aww bless him lol x

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  4. Another book I'll be checking out! I finished Cabin Fever after your recommendation - loved it! I won't look at a Virgin trolley dolly the same way again!!!!!!! x

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    1. Oh that book really does open your eyes doesn't it lol. Let me know what you think of this book xx

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  5. It sounds like a great book, I'm not sure what my partner would think If I started reading a book with that title though.

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    1. I will admit the hubby looked at me like "something you want to tell me" haha. It is a book that will help everyone, single or not x

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  6. If I'm ever on the dating scene again I will pick this book up x

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  7. Angela,
    Thank you for such an incredibly thoughtful review of the book. I hope you know how much I appreciate you taking the time to read through it (even though you aren't technically "dating" right now :) Keep doing amazing things on here and thank you SO much for your time.

    Best wishes,
    Hattie

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    1. Thank you for giving me the chance to read your book. I might not be dating in that sense but I feel the book really can help everyone single or not. I felt so much better about myself after reading it.

      Angela xx

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  8. What a great sounding book anxiety is just awful to try and contend with in many situations. x

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    1. It is awful. we are stronger than anxiety though :) xx

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  9. If I ever spilt from Daddy Moo I think I'd end up being a spinster as I can't bear to have to go dating!!

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  10. This sounds like a very helpful book. I don't really know much about anxiety but it must be very tough to live with.

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    1. it is a fantastic book. Anxiety is tough to live with but I like to show it who the boss really is x

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  11. This sounds like a really handy and helpful book, anxiety is so hard to live with and understand x

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    1. It is a great book. Made a difference to me. I agree it is both hard to live with and understand xx

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  12. I hope I don't ever have to read it, but it does look like an extremely useful book x

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  13. I hope that I stick with the hbusbeast forever, but it looks like a great book should I ever need it

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    1. My hubby found it funny that I was reading it lol. Such great advice in there x

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  14. Thank you for sharing, Angela, I do suffer from anxiety and it can be a struggle and puts a strain on our marriage when change occurs, which we had had plenty of in the last two years. I will be downloading it on Amazon as soon as I finish typing this in.xx

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    1. People don't realise the strain it puts on relationships they assume it only affects the person who is living with the condition. I love this book as it is suitable for everyone. Let me know what you think of the book and if you ever need to talk I am here xx

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  15. It must have been great to read this book and find similarities to your own experiences. Sounds like it was a really great read. Thank you for sharing x

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    1. It was surreal to see so many similarities but made me feel so much better too. x

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  16. It sounds as though you have found someone you can totally relate too.

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    1. I must admit I was surprised at just how much I could relate! Made such a difference to my outlook x

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  17. Sounds like a really helpful book. Interesting that they have an anxiety section.

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  18. Sounds like a book i would have needed a few years ago

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    1. I think even just reading it and being able to relate is a big step being married or single x

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  19. anxiety is so awful isn't it, sounds like a really useful book for those going through it x

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    1. It is a terrible thing to live with. The book is such an amazing help to those going through it and will help so many x

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  20. That's a good price for what sounds like a great book :)

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    1. I am glad I read the book, it has made a difference and the price is great xx

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