diff --git a/src/layouts/MarkdownLayout.astro b/src/layouts/MarkdownLayout.astro
index 4ef0546..d4110aa 100644
--- a/src/layouts/MarkdownLayout.astro
+++ b/src/layouts/MarkdownLayout.astro
@@ -8,9 +8,16 @@ const { frontmatter } = Astro.props;
     <link rel="icon" type="image/svg+xml" href="/favicon.svg" />
     <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0" />
     <title>{frontmatter.title}</title>
+
+    <style>
+        a {
+            padding: 0.5rem;
+        }
+    </style>
 </head>
 
 <BasicLayout>
     <h1>{frontmatter.title}</h1>
+    {frontmatter.categoryPage ? <a href="../">go back to {frontmatter.category} - category</a> : ""}
     <slot />
 </BasicLayout>
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/src/layouts/PicrewLayout.astro b/src/layouts/PicrewLayout.astro
index bfc05d9..0abf48c 100644
--- a/src/layouts/PicrewLayout.astro
+++ b/src/layouts/PicrewLayout.astro
@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@ const { frontmatter } = Astro.props;
 
 ---
 <BasicLayout pageTitle={frontmatter.title}>
+    {frontmatter.categoryPage ? <a href="../">go back to {frontmatter.category} - category</a> : ""}
     <slot />
     <div class="picrew-gallery">
         <figure>
@@ -36,6 +37,10 @@ const { frontmatter } = Astro.props;
 </BasicLayout>
 
 <style define:vars={{borderColor, borderColorDark}}>
+    a {
+        padding: 0.5rem;
+    }
+    
     .picrew-gallery {
         display: flex;
         flex-wrap: wrap;
diff --git a/src/pages/life/interests/entries/music.md b/src/pages/life/interests/entries/music.md
index d90db69..3783dff 100644
--- a/src/pages/life/interests/entries/music.md
+++ b/src/pages/life/interests/entries/music.md
@@ -3,6 +3,8 @@ layout: ../../../../layouts/MarkdownLayout.astro
 
 title: musically emma
 description: "music has been a fixture of my life since a child. both listening to it and playing it. read about my journey through my life in regards to music, and my relationship with making music that i had at one point in my life"
+categoryPage: true
+category: "emma's interests"
 ---
 
 music is a love language of mine, through life i've gone through many eras of music i've loved, all of them with a story, a reason, or a person behind them. music tells just as much a story of my life as i could tell my own story. so let's go through it together, okay?
diff --git a/src/pages/life/interests/entries/photography.md b/src/pages/life/interests/entries/photography.md
index 534fada..cf056b2 100644
--- a/src/pages/life/interests/entries/photography.md
+++ b/src/pages/life/interests/entries/photography.md
@@ -3,6 +3,8 @@ layout: ../../../../layouts/MarkdownLayout.astro
 
 title: photographically emma
 description: "an intense interest of mine throughout my early and teenage years was photography. you can read about it, and see some of my photos. i hope to revisit this interest soon!"
+categoryPage: true
+category: "emma's interests"
 ---
 
 i was quite into taking pictures for awhile. there was a period in the early 2000s where digital SLR (single lens reflex) cameras were quite expensive. while film ones were often cheap second hand. film was also relatively easy to get developed at a pharmacy or at a camera store as these were still a thing and did a nice job at developing photos. during this period of time i would begin learning how to take photographs with a 35mm film SLR.
diff --git a/src/pages/life/interests/entries/technology.md b/src/pages/life/interests/entries/technology.md
index 1af67e5..ad3cdf4 100644
--- a/src/pages/life/interests/entries/technology.md
+++ b/src/pages/life/interests/entries/technology.md
@@ -3,6 +3,8 @@ layout: ../../../../layouts/MarkdownLayout.astro
 
 title: technically emma
 description: "technology was an interest that could always feed my young mind. i was fascinated by it. always driven to learn something new about it. i'd find a career in tech, that would lead to more discoveries about myself. technology will always be a love of mine <3"
+categoryPage: true
+category: "emma's interests"
 ---
 
 technology, electronics in particular, was probably one of my first loves. as a child i was quite fond of taking apart anything i could, not yet knowing it would be smart to put it back together. as i entered grade school, a teacher would become quite important in my life. due to being legally blind, he would visit the school once per week, and make sure i was doing okay in school. he would do small assessments and we'd play games that would test common skills a child would have at that age. the thing i was obsessed with every time though, was the laptop he would bring. i would learn that it was an IBM ThinkPad T23. to say i was fascinated by this black square is an understatement. i was hooked by the idea of the computer, it was the device for someone that possessed curiosity like i did. this teacher caught on pretty quickly, and eventually would allow me some time each meeting to just look around on the computer, or make images in paint. trusting a little kid with your work pc is pretty impressive, but i think it really speaks to who this man was and what he meant to me as a whole
diff --git a/src/pages/life/self/entries/goals.md b/src/pages/life/self/entries/goals.md
index eed3223..449f404 100644
--- a/src/pages/life/self/entries/goals.md
+++ b/src/pages/life/self/entries/goals.md
@@ -3,6 +3,8 @@ layout: ../../../../layouts/MarkdownLayout.astro
 
 title: emma's goals
 description: "a list of goals i have in mind that i would like to accomplish. there's no particular timeframe. the only thing i would like is to complete them sooner rather than later"
+categoryPage: true
+category: "emma's self"
 ---
 
 this is a collection of goals that are personal to me. i list them here because i want to show that i am a work in progress, much like anyone else. that i have things i wish to accomplish over no particular timeframe. for most of them i will give them a timeframe of "sooner rather than later"
diff --git a/src/pages/life/self/entries/pets.md b/src/pages/life/self/entries/pets.md
index 2eddc92..11e1d0b 100644
--- a/src/pages/life/self/entries/pets.md
+++ b/src/pages/life/self/entries/pets.md
@@ -3,6 +3,8 @@ layout: ../../../../layouts/MarkdownLayout.astro
 
 title: emma loves pets
 description: "i've had pets all throughout my life. they are a core part of who i am. i've learned so much about animals and myself in the process. you can read about some of them here"
+categoryPage: true
+category: "emma's self"
 ---
 
 ### as a child
diff --git a/src/pages/life/self/entries/picrew.md b/src/pages/life/self/entries/picrew.md
index c4efe7f..5508d7e 100644
--- a/src/pages/life/self/entries/picrew.md
+++ b/src/pages/life/self/entries/picrew.md
@@ -3,6 +3,8 @@ layout: ../../../../layouts/PicrewLayout.astro
 
 title: emma's picrews
 description: "i've used picrew as a means to express myself in terms of outwards appearance. it has helped me better understand how i see myself. i'd like to share them"
+categoryPage: true
+category: "emma's self"
 
 images:
   one:
diff --git a/src/pages/life/self/entries/todo.md b/src/pages/life/self/entries/todo.md
index 6178674..3c27ae8 100644
--- a/src/pages/life/self/entries/todo.md
+++ b/src/pages/life/self/entries/todo.md
@@ -3,6 +3,8 @@ layout: ../../../../layouts/MarkdownLayout.astro
 
 title: emma's things to do
 description: "a list of things i'm interested in doing that you can to. resources to do them are provided. mostly related to web development for the time being"
+categoryPage: true
+category: "emma's self"
 ---
 
 this page is a little less specific than [emma's goals](./goals.md) they are things that i'd like to accomplish, but are not truly personal to me. they are things you could look through as well if you are looking for something new to try out or a skill to pick up. sometimes i'll try to include a resource i've found for eventually pursuing a topic if i have researched it far enough to do so. i will mark resources that are paid and resources that are free
diff --git a/src/pages/life/sunshine/entries/journalling.md b/src/pages/life/sunshine/entries/journalling.md
index 1bb189f..7b73563 100644
--- a/src/pages/life/sunshine/entries/journalling.md
+++ b/src/pages/life/sunshine/entries/journalling.md
@@ -3,6 +3,8 @@ layout: ../../../../layouts/MarkdownLayout.astro
 
 title: check out my journal
 description: "no, not literally :p i want to share with you why journalling means so much to me, from why i write in a journal, the pens i use, and the journal itself"
+categoryPage: true
+category: "emma's rays of sunshine"
 ---
 
 as i've progressed through my mental health journey. i've found journalling to be an incredible tool. while i love blogging and my websites. there are thoughts i need to take time to reflect on and process that are just for me. feelings and thoughts that don't necessarily need to be cast out into the void of the web, but that i need to sit down and spend time with. i use journalling for positive things too. i write down when i've had a good day. it is important to remember our good days when we don't have many of them, it can help us remember they are not forever gone
diff --git a/src/pages/life/sunshine/entries/positive-traits.md b/src/pages/life/sunshine/entries/positive-traits.md
index dd0aa1c..a6cb5e0 100644
--- a/src/pages/life/sunshine/entries/positive-traits.md
+++ b/src/pages/life/sunshine/entries/positive-traits.md
@@ -3,6 +3,8 @@ layout: ../../../../layouts/MarkdownLayout.astro
 
 title: a list of positive traits
 description: "this list of positive traits was shared with me by my therapist. i find them to be useful writing prompts for my journal entries sometimes. it can be nice to just give ourselves a pat on the back sometimes. we all could genuinely use more of those <3"
+categoryPage: true
+category: "emma's rays of sunshine"
 ---
 
 these are a list of positive traits my therapist provided me with. sometimes i look over them and just pick one. i'll then take a moment to think about why i am that trait. this is an exercise in self love and appreciating that although you may feel like shit, you are a wonderful person. other people see that, the tricky part is getting you to see that again. i have also used a word as a writing prompt im my journal. i pick a word and write a bit about why i am that trait. this is helpful on days where i am not doing well because i can revisit these entries and see that i was kind enough to write myself something so nice