Self Love Series: #1 Oh this life journey

Hiya Gorgeous,

It has certainly been awhile since I wrote a blog let alone a lifestyle blog. 

A LOT has happened since the last time I wrote. I had a baby in October, and let me tell you being pregnant and then postpartum definitely paid a toll on my self love psyche. Having a new baby, hormones and everything that comes along with that, can 100% make you feel like your aren't enough or beautiful AND loving you, is set aside.

Now after 6.5 months (uhmm where did that time go..) I am feeling great. I am working on taking care of myself more and more everyday. Along with looking after everything else, I have made it a priority to work out, eat well (as often as possible) and do things that make me happy. Hubby and I make sure we go out at least once a month, just us and no kids, to regenerate and have some fun one on one.

I find that I was so hard on myself as I journeyed through pregnancy, all those habitual thoughts of not being good enough, of being over weight swam through my mind constantly. It hindered some of my relationships and made me feel small. NOT to say that I didn't also enjoy growing my tiny little human but at times it was mentally straining. Doing the best I could to feel good was all I could do. Spending time with family and preparing for my baby bear was what kept my spirits up for sure.

Postpartum - at first I didn't have time to care about what I looked like or my weight, all I focused on was keeping this precious miracle alive. It was amazing having Brayden home with us after a hard labour and 4 days in the hospital. BUT then as the months passed and I was feeling better, those unkind thoughts came up again. We are most mean to ourselves then any one else could ever be to us, I know this as fact. Constantly reminding myself that I was doing the best I could and that my body is an amazing tool to create life in all its glory. SO now that is what I do, and as I kept changing the negative thoughts I noticed something, I can now quickly shift just like I had pre-pregnancy.

It has been quite the journey and let me tell you and its not over yet! With the support of my wonderful man letting me know that no matter what he loves me and my body, I breath a sigh of relief that the only one who is making me feel insecure about my soft belly is me. I am where I am right now, and in this moment I L-O-V-E my body for all that is has done and all it can do. I am fit and strong and will continue to be.

At the end of the day my lovelies, old thoughts show up to heal us. Sometimes it will show up in a big way and others that are easy to shift through. Remember you are doing the best from where you are right now in this moment. CHOOSE appreciation in these moments whether it is about the situation or something else you love, this will help you to keep shifting and moving forward. After all that's what we are meant to do.

Loads of love to you my friends <3

I hope this serves you.

Your Designer,

Amanda Garrett


Check out my blog on Selflove and to know a little bit more about my journey to where I am now.

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Lifestyle: Allowing fear

Hello Lovely!

As I have shared before relationships were always a very hard thing for me, allowing situations and not so nice people remain in my life for many years. Sometimes within the wonderful relationships that I now have, things show up that I can make assumptions about and over think. When I allow the fear to take over, I panic and get paranoid. I literally can feel like I am loosing my mind, creating a mountain out of a not so existent mole hill.

When I finally let myself step back, and that could mean having a conversation with a friend who provides a perspective that I really needed to hear. 

OR asking myself the questions; 

1."What do I really need right now?"
2."Am I taking responsibility for myself or blaming someone outside of me?"
3."How can I better understand this (insert feeling, experience here) and learn from it?"

I can then start shifting and moving out of the fear. Loving myself even though I am "being" a way that I think is "wrong", can be really empowering. Showing up and loving the dark parts of ourselves, is what we all need to do. How can we expect anyone else to love those parts of us if we can't seem to. 

I had a friend once tell me after hearing how "crazy" I felt I was being, "You need to stop saying you're crazy because you're not... I care about you and I am proud of how far you've come." Those words changed my perspective, allowing me to know that no matter how "crazy" or "silly" I am feeling. I am still loved.

I truly believe that we are not given anything we can not survive, everything shows up for us to heal, learn and grow.  Take good care and be kind to yourself when feeling down or have not had a great day. YOU are always, deeply loved.

I hope this serves you.

Your Designer,

Amanda Garrett

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Lifestyle: Resistance

What you resist persists. - Carl Jung

Have you ever found yourself avoiding something, a conversation, a decision or a feeling? Resistance is definitely part of being a human, but when do you finally let it go? Did you know that when you do, it can feel like a huge weight is lifted? Like all of a sudden you can see clearly now. Any time I release resistance to something, that song 'I can see clearly now', pops into my head. Honestly, because once I released a relationship that was holding me back, while I was driving to work I finally said okay I'm done. The song came on the radio and a truck drove past that said FINALLY.. serious the universe is amazing at providing guidance and signs we just have to let it flow. 

When we're stuck, we put up a wall that block our connected-ness. This may sound heady or woo-woo to some but when you believe in a power greater than yourself and you allow it to come in, to take the burden, something incredible happens. You experience a miracle. Miracles don't have to be these massive changes, it can just be a small shift that gets you from feeling stuck to feeling clear.

Lately, I have been resisting my own stuff a lot, something that has followed me for so long. Relationships for me have been very hard at times. My ego trips a lot, and I find it hard to breath at times. I have lived in the projections my mind created about relationships(family, friend or romantic), and I believe them. "I'm not enough", "I'm going to be left all alone", "Who am I to be happy?", "What's wrong with me?" etc, etc. Then the blame shows up, something doesn't happen, they don't call or text me and I get upset and all of the above happens.  Disappointment can be a dark place if you let it, and you get mad at the other person, projecting your shit onto them. 

SO I believe that every person in your life is like an "assignment", for us to learn, grow, and heal.  It will keep showing up, in different relationships or circumstances until it is healed. When I take a step back and say, "how can I grow here?", it allows my inner guide to take the lead a little bit. A mantra or prayer like, "Thank you, inner guide(god, universe, spirit, source etc), for helping me see this with love".  Then a meditation to get still and allow any guidance to come in. Just by doing this, I feel light and more grounded. CHOOSING not to stay in my mind and rather let the fear sit in the back seat, no driving allowed, it can't even touch the radio. This allows me to react in a calm way instead of allowing my frustration to take control of any conversation. I am able to shift, even a little bit out of what I had been resisting, and oh what a feeling. When the anxiety drops, there's just relief. 

This then leads me to books like Gabby Bernsteins 'Spirit Junkie' or listening to something from Abraham Hicks. Whatever I need I am guided to and you will be guided to also. BUT you have to be willing to see things differently, to ask and sit in patience for what you really are needing. The universe has your back, you just have to allow yourself to lean on it.

I hope this serves you.

Your Designer,

Amanda Garrett

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Lifestyle: Selflove

When I was 6 years old I decided no one liked me. What a thing to think and make as a life statement so young, but it's true. I wasn't invited to a girls birthday party, being one of the only kids not invited. I was so upset, I lied. Yep, I was 6 so what do you do. I told my very best friend that I lost my invitation and needed the address and time. She gave it to me, I wrote it down and went home and told my mom I needed to get a gift for a girl in my class. 

We bought a dress and some pretty sweet lip smackers, I was actually so excited! But, we got there, and I was looked at like a fool. By the kids and her mother. I didn't get to go to the party and I never told my Mom what I did to get there. I was 6 years old and I decided no one liked me and I wasn't good enough. 

This thought led through my whole life, I can see how it followed me in every relationship, family, friend and romantic. So many situations kept confirming that I was not enough and I was constantly comparing myself. 




Then, body image began to be a big part of the "I'm not good enough" mind. I started to diet at a young age and wanted to be skinny like my friends. I gained a lot of weight or "baby chub" when I was 11 and was made fun of for it. I didn't always eat the best, there was a convenience store right down the street. So yeah I ate a lot of junk, that didn't help. I was made fun of one too many times and decided to stop eating and start working out ALL the time! 

I was 13 when I became anorexic and 14 when I thought I'd give bulimia a try (that didn't last long, thank goodness). But 3 years later I still wasn't eating much, before high school. I was 100 pounds, skin and bones. I never felt more less, and not enough. In high school I had several wonderful people in my life who helped me eat and gave me some hope. BUT, I wasn't happy and it showed in so many ways. Becoming an over eater I gained weight and lost once again. I compared myself to everyone who I thought was prettier, thinner and well, better than me. I wasn't enough for anyone, especially not myself. 

I tried so hard in every single relationship, friend, family and romantic to be the one person they would love, and be there for. Except I didn't try with my own, the relationship with me. Self love is such an important relationship to have. When you have a strong sense of self worth and love for yourself, things begin to shift. Friends who were your "Besties", fall away and men who you thought loved you, do too. Relationships that no longer serve you basically disappear. 

And what are you left with?  YOU. To love and be kind to, to be your best friend, the light that lifts you up and the heart that holds you close no matter what. Because, well, you are enough. You begin to see that the relationships you now have are the ideal relationships for you. They love and cherish you as you now do yourself. Taking care of yourself mind, body and soul, is the most wonderful, generous thing you can do in your WHOLE life. 

Self love, should be taught to our children and every person on the planet, period. Give yourself the opportunity to shift, love YOU more than anything else, and every one you love will feel it!

This shoot was to show that you can get to happy after an eating disorder. I recovered from Anorexia, I am a recovering over eater and very proud. I no longer put myself down because of my body or the decision that little 6 year old girl made so many years ago. I love her and ME every day. It's not always easy, but like in any relationship if its worth the fight, then FIGHT. I am enough for me and I know I am enough for every one else too. 

Thank you so much to Michelle Liane for being apart of the beginning of something wonderful. 

Self love is all you need to be happy.    

You are beautiful just the way you are..


I hope this serves you.

Your Designer,

                                                           Amanda Garrett

The Canadian Women's Foundation

My days start with a loving kindness meditation towards myself, those I love and care for and out to all beings from my heart to theirs. I truly believe that each of us have a purpose to create greatness on the planet. To change the world one breath, one beat of the heart and one smile at a time. Sometimes it feels like I am not contributing enough but I know with this small act each morning, I am doing something. 

I didn't always do this, some days I woke up in such a horrible mood. I would look in the mirror and not even look at myself, just pass by or avoid my own eyes. I really disliked the person I was, and blamed other people for the experiences that I had. My life was dramatic and unreliable in so many ways, a lot had to do with how I perceived myself. I was never comfortable around people, always trying so hard to fit in and be liked, but also not always being the nicest person. Although as I went through school my friendships got better, but I still felt like I was never enough for anyone not even for me. 

For me it was always about my weight, my body and not having what I wanted. When I was 9 years old I started getting really chubby, that stuck with me for a few years. I was made fun of and teased because of the way my body looked. Which just kept confirming for me that I, my body, wasn't good enough. I struggled with diets starting really young, and then one day a boy I went to school with, who I thought was my "friend" bought a chocolate bar. He held it out to me and said, "I know you waaaaaant it Amanda."  ---I had, had it!

I couldn't bare feeling so unloved and looked down on because of my weight anymore, at 13 I started not to eat and worked out a lot. Three times a day as well as constantly going out with friends, (riding bikes, roller blading etc.). I lost 50 pounds in 2 months, when I went back to school from summer vacation everyone noticed and it made me feel so good! The guys were noticing me, girls that hardly spoke to me or spoke ill of me, were my "friends". Finally, I was enough! 

Sigh of relief right? Not so much. I decided it wasn't enough, I had to keep it off. SO for a short time I starting making myself sick. However, and thank goodness that didn't last long. A good friend, found out while we were away at camp and said she would tell my mom. I thank her to this day for that! I did continue eating very little, by the time I went into high school I was 100 pounds soaking wet. Yikes! For my body type, being more muscular, that was incredibly unhealthy. AND guess what, I still thought I was fat! 

Over the years I have struggled with body image issues, but over the last 4 months, I let it go. Yes, there are still parts that I wish were different, but I work on them every day.

The most important thing is I know I AM ENOUGH! I now look in the mirror with love and kindness towards myself.  I say often 'I love you Amanda' because at the end of the day all you've got is you. I share this short version of this story, my story with you because I believe that all of us need to believe we are worthy of everything in this life, no matter what we look like how we feel about ourselves is so crucial.

I am a huge supporter of the 'As We Are Project' from the Canadian Women's Foundation. This month, being my 3rd year Anniversary, for each 'like' on Facebook that gets A.M.E.G. Designs to 300, a dollar will be donated to the CWF. THIS is where my journey has led me and it's not done yet. I am grateful because now I can help as many young girls and women as I can feel comfortable in their own skin. Because you are not alone, together we can take on the world!

Thank you so very much for reading.

Love and guidance your Designer,

Amanda Garrett



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