The Blurt Foundation's Self-Care Project to Orion Spring

Orion Spring is publishing The Self-Care Project by Jayne Hardy, founder of social enterprise The Blurt Foundation, an online community designed to help those affected by depression.

Editorial director Olivia Morris signed world rights from Abbie Greaves of Curtis Brown for Orion Spring to publish as a £12.99 trade paperback and e-book in December 2017.

In The Self-Care Project, Hardy will argue that self-care, far from simply being a millennial buzzword and trend, is "an important tool", helping us to "take responsibility for our own happiness". Taking into account our physical, emotional, psychological and social needs, the book will contain practical exercises to help readers explore what self-care means for them, what their obstacles might be and provide advice on how to chisel out time for self-care in a "practical, achievable and realistic" way.

Morris said Hardy was "the perfect person" to write the book. Hardy lost most of her twenties to depression and, with long waiting lists for counselling and support, was left to cope with her condition alone. She founded The Blurt Foundation in 2011 to provide interim support for those struggling with depression and to raise awareness and understanding of the illness.  

“Jayne is an inspiration – I am a huge admirer of everything she and The Blurt Foundation have achieved so far both in raising awareness of depression and supporting those in need," said Morris. "Her energy is infectious and she is the perfect person to spread the word about this important, restorative action.”

Hardy commented: "In a world that’s become so loud, we’re all a bit out of tune with what we need. If we’re juggling several balls; parent, work, partner, friend, sibling, and self-care, to name a few – it’s typically the self-care one we’ll drop like a hot potato. It’s a conundrum I’ve faced time and time again, and in speaking to my peers, I realized I wasn’t alone. I’m delighted to have had the opportunity to work with, and learn from, Abbie and Olivia, in order to create a book which I hope will help others too.”

The book follows Octopus' announcement of The Self Care Revolution last week, among other acquisitions in the space such as Hutchinson's Self-Care for the Real World and Piatkus' acquired a self-care "bible", Recharge: A Year of Self-Care to Focus on You.