“People are supposed to thrive, not survive.”

This simple statement, said by Coppell resident and author Elizabeth “Eli” de Moraes, embodies the ideas presented in her recently released book Thrive Again: Simple Strategies to Time Out, Tune In and Tone Up Your Life.

Thrive Again is a self-help guide targeted to employed mothers, that gives advice on reducing stress, and balancing a career, community and family. Its primary purpose is to help improve mental, physical and spiritual health by giving readers the tools they need to manage their life.

“[Thrive Again] is really about simplifying your life and putting self-care as a main priority,” Moraes said. “The main message it conveys is that self-care is paramount in order to be able to do the best in life and serve others.”

Moraes had a launch party on Dec. 5 at the LifeStream Health Centre and Medical Spa located in Old Town Coppell, to celebrate the release of Thrive Again. The launch party included autograph signing, book purchasing, a reading of an excerpt from Thrive Again and a group discussion.

Many of the launch party attendees praised Thrive Again for its practical, applicable nature. The book mostly discusses getting rid of things that don’t serve you, either physically or in your calendar, and also discusses delegating to help reduce stress.

“It’s conversational and an easy read,” friend and Coppell resident Cinda Knight said. “The things you learn from it are very doable. It’s not adding more to an already heavy plate.”

The attendees also commended the clarity of the expressed ideas.

“It’s really simple advice that everyone should keep to but no one remembers to do,” Coppell resident Tay Hutchinson said.

Attendees also loved that Moraes targeted Thrive Again to employed mothers, feeling they could personally relate to the advice given. Moraes noted that employed mothers are competitive, but that they are also the ones about to crash from the stress.

“The different tools are most helpful, especially for a working mom,” Moraes’s personal assistant Claire Hess said. “Working moms are so stressed because they put themselves last.”

Eli Moraes had been inspired to write Thrive Again after experiencing a nervous collapse.

“I watched what she was going through,” husband Andre Moraes said. “I thought I couldn’t do much. I could talk to and support her, but she got through the process herself and the book is an articulation of that.”

Eli Moraes described the process as intensive, as she had to learn to sort out her life again.

“My first step to moving to a healthy lifestyle had been stopping to rest,” she said. “I couldn’t even sit for the end of a movie. I needed to get up. I felt as if I had to keep proving to myself that I was active. I learned to be still. Through, meditation, through breathing. My body and soul needed it.”

Moraes notes writing Thrive Again helped herself just as much as it helps others. The book helps remind her to keep on course.

“My experiences served as a guide on writing [Thrive Again],” she said. “I wrote some advice for getting out of the burnout, but writing it reminded me to keep to that advice myself. I’d been hoping to write it for a number of years. The challenge had been to organize it all into a cohesive unit.”

Thrive Again is unique compared to other self-help guides, she commented, because there is no magic formula that applies to all readers. People can try out the advice and find the strategies that are best for them, tailoring it to their personal experiences.

Although the book is targeted to employed mothers, Moraes says both men and younger females can apply the advice to their lives, as the truths she discusses are universal.

“It helps younger women arm themselves [before they get jobs] and prevent some of the things that happen later,” Moraes said. “It’s all about human beings. Men can also use those tips even though the style is more feminine.”

You can buy Thrive Again on Amazon or visit Moraes’ site for more information. Moraes offers her services as a health/lifestyle coach, and also teaches pilates and yoga.

A portion of proceeds from sales goes to Project Underground Railroad, an organization dedicated to eradicating the child slave trade, and Soap Hope, an organization dedicated to helping females in poverty through loaning funds to start businesses.