Finding Al-Anon, and finding myself
A note before you read: This post reflects my personal experience with Al-Anon and my own journey to recovery. I am not speaking on behalf of Al-Anon or representing the organization or the people within it. To protect the anonymity of others, I have intentionally omitted names and details that could identify the people involved. My path to finding Al-Anon began through two people close to me; I didn't realize the true impact of one of them had on my life until after I began
Aug 205 min read
I'm back...and becoming better
Welcome back to Amanda's Archives. I've missed you all and truly missed writing for you. I did take some time to myself while navigating an intense life circumstance that I'm not ready to discuss at the moment. I do look forward to sharing my experience with you all in the future. On another note, I'm on a journey of not only self-love, but self rediscovery. Loving myself will always be a full-time job, and it's arguably one of the most difficult jobs. However, my readers, I
Aug 112 min read
Going through changes: My endometriosis diagnosis
Since October 2024, my periods changed. There was more pain, sometimes more bleeding, sometimes hardly any bleeding, but the pain had changed. Growing up, my cycles were unbalanced and I always had painful periods and insane mood swings; but this was different. I went to my annual gynecology appointment last year hopeful. I had faith in my doctor that she would find the problem to this with no issues. I had always liked her when I was younger, and she had tried to help me wi
Sep 14, 20253 min read
Post-graduation depression
So, I graduated from college (yay!). It has been a whirlwind of emotions, from not knowing if I actually passed my classes as I was...
Aug 17, 20252 min read
My Body is a Temple, and I Decorated It
Tattoos are a controversial form of self expression. It is something that I have fully taken advantage of since I turned 18. My first, second and third tattoos were meaningful and hidden. I was afraid, but still wanted to express myself. It's been five years of ink and needles, and I can proudly say that I love my body and all the modifications I've made to it. Self love is a difficult thing. Everyone struggles with it in their own way. Growing up and even into adulthood, I
Mar 5, 20252 min read
My Experience as a Maid of Honor
I will start by saying weddings are not for the weak, and being a member of the wedding party especially is not for the weak. Weddings are so beautiful, but they are an insane amount of work, and it's true: no wedding will ever be perfect. My experience consists of going to a couple family weddings as a baby and one wedding in their backyard; all as a guest. So when I was asked by my best friend a year ago to be her maid of honor, I was honored of course. However, I had no i
Sep 16, 20245 min read
