Albury author's new book seeks to find life's balance

And Albury’s Clare Evans, author, speaker and health and wellbeing advocate, is not joking.

Her first book Pure Balance aims to help others become more aware of their health, which goes far beyond physical aspects.

“Diet and exercise is fantastic but there's so much more to healing than that,” she said.

"We need to look at our minds and our emotions and our spirit as well.

"To have the balance in your life through feeding and nurturing all areas of your being."

In 2008 Evans, living in Western Australia with her husband and two daughters, was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

"I did lots of sport, I ate what I thought was a healthy diet and I was generally happy and outgoing," she said.

During her treatment, which included traditional and complementary therapies, she realised not all had been well.

"Negative body image and taking on other people's problems and worrying about everything," she said. "Unfortunately I got worse before I got better; I developed bulimia and I had struggles with depression.” 

As part of her wellbeing overhaul, Evans changed her approach to diet and exercise and also learned to accept her emotions.

“I would distract myself, I wouldn't let myself feel,” she said. "By doing so I've just suppressed it as opposed to expressing it, allowing it and feeling it and then letting it release."

Evans moved to Albury with her family in 2011 and two years later was officially termed cured.

Qualified in reflexology, holistic counselling and nutritional education training, she wants to use her cancer experience to help others.

“Because it did instigate that change, the self-discovery and the healing and the growth and the empowerment that came with that," she said.

Pure Balance will be launched at Dymocks Albury on Saturday, October 10 at 1pm and will also be available to buy online.