Kizzy Lovell
Kizzy Lovell has published a book that has been in her heart for many years, and she finally decided to bring it to life in print.
She was working as a Supervising Social Work Manager with adopters and foster carers when she experienced a huge breakdown. She completely collapsed and, long story short, ended up semi comatose and bed-bound for over five years.
As she slowly began to clear the fog from her mind, Kizzy realised she had lost everything. Her relationship with her husband and children had changed, her friends were gone, and her career, which she had loved and worked tirelessly for over many years, had disappeared. Her soul felt empty. She felt empty. There was a large, gaping hole where inspiration, excitement, ambition and emotion had once lived.
Unable to leave the house and spending most of her life in bed, she could only watch the swifts swooping through the sky from her bedroom window. It was from there that she began to imagine the outside world again.
She thought about daffodils and sunflowers, the smell of freshly cut grass, the wind rushing through the trees, and the bright eyes of deer and other wildlife. Although she describes herself as a townie at heart, she found herself craving the beauty of the outdoors. She could not go there, but she began to fill the emptiness inside with beautiful things.
Kizzy had started to grow a garden in her soul. She realised she was deciding what she wanted to be inside again, finding a way to dig out the old, crippling lifelong thoughts and ideas about herself that had begun to resurface.
She had plenty of time to work through disappointment, feelings of failure, and the lack of self-esteem that came from being in such a powerless situation. She had to rebuild, and sometimes choose not to renew, certain relationships. She realised she was deciding what she wanted to be inside once more.
Eventually, she got back outside. For a couple of years, she used a wheelchair before regaining her strength and walking again. Mentally, the experience had taken its toll, but she rebuilt her life piece by piece. It was not easy, but she grew her soul again and emerged stronger and more content than ever before.
Kizzy decided to share how she grew again because she has met so many people who have been in that same deep hole of depression, struggling with low self-worth, control from others, and the overwhelming belief that happiness might never return.
Her book is not just a story; it is an interactive journal designed to guide readers through their own journey of healing. It invites them to doodle, draw, paint, write or express themselves in any way they wish. It is a deeply personal journey to grow your own soul.
Perhaps the book will be helpful for you, or maybe for someone you know who is struggling and in need of hope and renewal.
Kizzy’s favourite version is available on her website. It is spiral-bound, though it can also be purchased in hardback or paperback editions.
