Why I started Extra Support

Welcome to The Extra Support Squad!

Hey there! My name is Amanda, I wanted to share why I created Extra Support. I was always the "weird" kid who got left out growing up or was constantly left behind by people who I thought were my friends. I struggled to hold onto real relationships for the longest time. Through my own trials and errors, overcoming hardship after hardship I learned that I didn't give myself enough worth to allow for insight on who I really was. I was constantly trying to mold myself to what I thought others wanted me to be, to appear "normal," except I was never "normal." At the age of 10 I was diagnosed with ADHD and OCD, and while my mom tried to get me the help I needed, it still only helped so much.

Amanda, the Founder of Extra Support

I felt like I could never be myself, in high school, I had no idea who I was, and that continued on until I hit my 30's. Growing up, I never really learned about feeling emotions and how to handle them, high school was the first time I had to figure that out. I was finally feeling deeper emotions for the first time in my life and I didn't know what to do with them. By the time I was 12, my Major Depressive Disorder and Generalized Anxiety Disorder started coming out, which raised even more challenges.

Throughout my life, I've experienced many traumas of all kinds. I was married to an abusive alcoholic and then got divorced and that came along with it's own series of traumas. Those traumas set the fire in me to find my pattern so I could finally work on getting better. I knew I was better than my past finally and was ready to rise.

Rise I did, I started working in insurance and created my own business to get by and to save enough to buy a home. I did it! Then my furnace went out, then my water heater, then my grandma died, my grandpa, and then even a very close family friend all passed away within 11 months of each other. I was heartbroken. Next, 6 months later, I had a bad fall off of a horse that badly injured my neck, got that hospital bill, ouch. Less than 4 months later, I got rear ended at a red light in a hit and run, got my second neck injury from that, luckily insurance was paying this time! I still had to go through multiple months of physical therapy.

Fast forward to 2024, life had compounded again, too many life changes, too many stressors, life felt like it was moving too fast and I couldn't catch up. I normally had depression year round, been that way for the past 20 years for me, and it's normal to get worse with SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder) in the winter. Normally, I get some relief come the warmer/sunnier weather...not this time. I just kept getting worse and worse and deeper and deeper into depression, I knew I needed help.

I started seeing a therapist and eventually in October of 2024 I got to the point that my therapist recommended I be admitted to a local mental hospital for treatment. Absolutely LIFE CHANGING. By no means was it overnight, but my time in the mental hospital was so validating and enlightening that it shed the light I was looking for all this time, my calling...that's when I decided I was going to start Extra Support.

It's my goal to share my experiences in hopes it can help someone else who may be struggling. I want to be a part of creating a more in-depth mental awareness by tearing down stigmas, sharing my raw and real stories, and working hard to collect and provide resources for people who need some Extra Support.

Everything I create is intentional and I hope it makes a difference for future generations. If you'd like to be a part of that, I invite you to join the Extra Support Squad, share your own stories, and make connections with me.

Join the squad

• As Always, I recommend seeking professional help if you are struggling. You can check out the "resources" page for some extra guidance. I am not a medical professional, I'm just someone who's been to the lowest of lows and wants better for the world.