Safety Stop – I lost my mind to find my soul

The hook of the non-fiction memoir ´Safety Stop´

An adventurous true story about 15 years of my life as a young woman. I work very hard to make my dreams come true and by following my passions when I work as a diving instructor all around the world. Soon I realise that everything is possible with the right intentions and by believing in it. However, we can´t control everything in life and some dreams become nightmares. I lose both of my parents of cancer at a too young age and at the end of the story, I experience psychosis in the Philippines. After walking the streets of Cebu for a few days & nights, and with no belongings left, I find myself waking up in a very poor local mental hospital. Bound to a bed frame and without even a mattress to sleep on, I am found back thanks to a huge Facebook search action. My sister and her husband finally rescue me there. 

Introduction of the true story behind the book

The story starts with losing my mum of cancer before I take off to become a scuba diving instructor. The places where I work include Spain, the Dominican Republic, Mexico, the Maldives, New Zealand and Australia. Many more countries will be discovered during stopovers or visa-runs. But then, I, unfortunately, lose my dad of cancer too. After a intense time in the Netherlands, I return back to Australia and start an office job in Byron Bay. However, after almost a year, I miss the oceans and decide to return to the Philippines to work as a scuba dive instructor again. Here, I experience very extreme psychosis. I never get around what really happened there, till the exact thing happens 4 years later in Peru but that will come in my second book. The book is written as a memoir. The story is adventurous, sometimes funny but also dramatic and philosophic. 

Topics in this true story, a non-fiction memoir

The book is a non-fiction memoir and at the same time a travel story with happiness, drama and tension, about 15 years out of my life. The true story features topics as travel, scuba diving, adventure, drama, spirituality, a bit of romance and mysteries. The story also contains funny bloopers, making dreams come true, values in life, following passions, and how I find my own way in a sometimes confusing world. Spiritual themes include the law of attraction, mysterious coincidences, and realizing why everything in life happens for a reason. Many Hay House books helped me to find myself again during the ´Safety Stop in life´, which I took after the Philippines. 

The theme of Safety Stop book

The real theme, however, is that I discover that everything has a reason and every crisis has the potential for a positive transformation in it. Sometimes, just like after a scuba dive, it´s a good idea to do a little stop and stand still in life to continue in a better way, after that. But also on a regular base in the form of meditation.

The tittle – Safety Stop

 Safety Stop, the title of this book, is symbolic and realistic at the same time.

As a scuba diving instructor, I make many concrete ´safety stops´ after the thousands of scuba dives I do. As a recreational scuba diver, you always stop at the end of your dive for 3 minutes at 5 meters to release the nitrogen from your system, which was build up during your dive. When I´m working on the Maldives, I start to learn and practice meditation. In my safety stops, I start to use this time to become fully aware of the now, instead of just waiting for these boring minutes to pass by.

Later in my story, I take a ´safety stop´ in life. Up until now I never stood still in life; I always worked a lot, many times doing double jobs, in order to go to the next place. At some point, I realized that I was trying to find happiness outside of myself, either in a new job, place, or relationship, and I was never going to find it there. After many events happening in my life, I was stuck with many questions I could no longer run away from. I realized that my own life has pushed me to stand still for a short while to find the answers inside myself.

Goals of writing my book

With this book, I hope to be able to inspire others and encourage everybody to follow their own passions. I feel motivated to bring Wayne Dyer´s teachings under the attention again, especially to my generation, since I believe it´s needed at this time. I hope to help by sharing my story of losing my parents and to realize that there is a positive transformation laying in every crisis. But also how we can make our dreams come true by believing in ourselves. I share how I become aware of the fact that something has always guided me in a certain direction. However, I disconnected myself many times from it when I became distracted through a romantic relationship or other ´pleasures´ in certain periods in my life. You might gain some insights for yourself or do nothing with it but just enjoy my story in which I take you travelling all over the world.

Tip for Safety Stop Book

If you are curious to images belonging to this story, I have started to upload photos of all of the places I have visited during ´Safety Stop´ on my Instagram account, using the hashtag ´#safetystopbook´. It also includes beautiful pictures of our friends in the oceans!