Hello, Thread-Heads! It’s Monday, and if you’re like me, sometimes the thought of the whole week ahead feels like trying to start a king-sized blanket with zero yarn. Overwhelming! Today, we focus on The First Stitch—the absolute core of recovery, resilience, and every creative endeavor.

Hello, Thread-Heads and Fellow Seekers! I'm Aurora Meadows (the Owl 🌙), and welcome to The Hook & The Thread! If you’re here, you probably know a little about me: I'm a passionate crocheter, a mental health advocate, and a recovering addict. For a long time, my life felt like a knot of chaotic, tangled yarn—messy, frayed, and far too tight.

Hello, friends, and welcome! I’m Aurora Meadows, and I’m thrilled you’ve stumbled into my cozy corner of NOTD.io. If you know me, you know two things: I’m a passionate crocheter, and my life is a story of recovery and resilience. For a long time, my mental health felt like a messy, snarled knot of yarn—frayed edges, confusing colours, and far too much tension. I was seeking external solutions to numb internal pain. But here’s what I learned on the journey toward sobriety and healing:

A diagnosis of cancer brings with it many challenges. It's common for people with cancer to experience chronic pain as cancer grows and spreads to other parts of the body during the later stages. Even people who’ve localized cancer that hasn't spread may experience pain early on as the malignancy enlarges and presses on tissues and nerves. Plus, the treatments themselves, like surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy, can cause pain and discomfort for some people. In fact, between 40% and 85% of people with cancer experience pain at some point after their diagnosis Acupuncture and Post-Surgical Pain Studies have also looked at whether acupuncture helps with pain control after surgery for cancer. One study found that a combination of acupuncture and massage was effective in controlling pain after cancer surgery. Patients who got a combination of acupuncture and massage required less pain medication after surgery

A short version of my story written with a touch of my hometown southern grit. I grew up in a one stop light town in rural North Carolina. I wanted to try to bring some of that "small southern town" energy thru to the reader with this one.

Pain isn't just physical; it has profound emotional and psychological dimensions. Fear, anxiety, sadness, and anger can amplify pain, while comfort, distraction, and a sense of control can diminish it. It can isolate us, making us withdraw from activities and social connections, or it can be a shared experience that fosters empathy and understanding.

Staring out the window—someone once said-—is for love songs and houseflies. Well, I've got a third one to add—it's also for single men dealing with bipolar trying to live in the divine joy of being a Nobody in his daily life...

Help me!! why does everybody act as if they're already dead? choking choking choking I CAN SAVE YOU WHY WONT YOU LET ME

what would you do if you got fired for a mental condition you were open about? It sucks to be open about Bipolar and even more when your treated like a POS for it

Hey. How's your night time hair care routine? Here's some of Naturally You's LLC tips for you to love.

Here's the fourth and possibly final part of my Dissociation Series unless you guys and gals want more, then don't hesitate to ask! :D

Self-discipline and self-awareness are powerful tools for personal growth and success. While self-discipline helps us stay focused and resist short-term distractions, self-awareness allows us to understand our thoughts, habits, and emotional triggers. Together, they guide us toward intentional living—helping us make better decisions, maintain healthy routines, and achieve long-term goals. With self-awareness, discipline becomes more meaningful and aligned with our values. Cultivating both traits leads to greater confidence, mental clarity, and a deeper understanding of ourselves and the life we aim to build.

I am simply copying and pasting something from a word project I wrote here while detoxing off a substance I thought was simply an energy pill and one of the reasons I write today. Here is my experience and warning to anyone who runs from their mental health issues.

Here's Part 2 of my Dissociation: Living With DR/DP series, and I hope you all enjoy it as much as I did writing it.

Here's Part 1 of my revived note from November 26th, 2024. I hope you all enjoy it and I'll definitely keep writing to bring more content like this!

An Addict’s Story: Real Recovery, Real Courage She remembers the first lie she told herself — that tomorrow would be different. Years of chasing numbness carved a life of missed birthdays, broken promises, and quiet apologies. One cold morning, after a blackout of shame, she walked into a tiny treatment room with trembling hands and a single question: Can I be forgiven? Recovery didn’t arrive like a headline. It came from small, stubborn choices — saying no at a party, answering the phone at two a.m., showing up for her daughter when every part of her wanted to sleep. Courage was not a dramatic rescue but the quiet work of rebuilding trust, sitting with grief, and letting others hold her when she could not hold herself. Today she mentors other women, speaks honestly about relapse and redemption, and finds joy in ordinary mornings. Real recovery is patient, gritty, and deeply human—the brave act of beginning again.

This poem can be interpreted in any way, you could try to guess what the poem is originally about but the whole point of poetry is to understand it in your own way.

The garnish is offensive and needs to be stopped. I'm joking but i'm really not. I think I'm going mad.

To help avoid depression while living with dyslexia, build a support system—talk to friends, family, or a therapist. Break tasks into smaller steps and celebrate small wins. Use tools like audiobooks or speech-to-text apps. Be kind to yourself, and remember it’s okay to ask for help when needed.

Being depressed while having dyslexia makes it hard to stay motivated or focused. Struggling to read or write can feel even more frustrating, and the lack of energy from depression makes it harder to push through those daily challenges.