Healing, Glowing, and Growing – One Act of Self-Care At a Time

Right now, I’m in a season of stress that feels loud, heavy, and hard to escape.

This isn’t a reflection from a safe distance — this is me in the middle of it, doing the best I can with what I have.

One of the biggest weights on me right now is financial stress.

Healing has pulled me out of work, and every day I’m trying to figure out how to cover the basics: electricity, heating oil, groceries, and the things me and the kids need to get through winter.

And this year, I’ve had to face something that broke my heart in a quiet, private way:

there won’t be Christmas presents.

Not because I don’t want to give my kids joy — but because survival comes first.

Heat. Food. Stability.

The essentials have to win.

The sadness of it hits me in small moments:

when I see holiday ads, when the kids mention something they love, or even when I pass the seasonal aisle at the store. It’s a specific kind of ache to want to create magic but knowing you need to provide warmth instead.

This is the messy middle of my life right now, and I’m coping through it — imperfectly, honestly, and one day at a time.

1. Naming What’s Actually Stressing Me Out

For a long time, my instinct was to say “I’m fine” even when I wasn’t.

But pretending doesn’t make anything lighter.

Lately, I’ve been practicing honesty — even if the honesty isn’t pretty:

• I’m scared about money.
• I’m tired of being in survival mode.
• I’m grieving the holiday I wish I could give my kids.
• I’m overwhelmed by the “what ifs.”
• I’m doing the best I can with what I have.

There’s a kind of relief that comes from naming things.

It doesn’t fix them, but it stops my mind from twisting everything into “I’m failing.”

2. Using My Own Tools (Even When I Don’t Feel Like It)

It’s strange using the tools I created for others, on myself.

But lately, they’ve become my lifeline:

• emotional check-ins when I’m spiraling
• grounding prompts when the anxiety is loud
• writing things down instead of holding everything in my chest
• slow-moment rituals to keep my nervous system from crashing

One morning last week, I felt so overwhelmed I couldn’t even get out of bed.

I reached for one of my own grounding prompts and wrote three sentences.

It didn’t fix the day — but it made the day possible.

And sometimes that’s enough.

3. Micro-Plans Instead of Fixing My Whole Life at Once

When stress is constant, my brain jumps straight into worst-case scenarios.

So I’ve been shrinking my world into small, doable pieces:

• Today’s tasks belong to today.
• Tomorrow gets handled tomorrow.
• Winter doesn’t need to be solved in a single night.

A few days ago, I sat at the kitchen table surrounded by bills and started crying.

Not because of the numbers — but because I was trying to solve months of problems in one afternoon.

Breaking it down into tiny steps pulled me out of that moment.

4. Feeling the Feelings Without Drowning in Them

I’m not forcing positivity.

Some days, the sadness around Christmas knocks the air out of me.

Some days, the fear feels heavier than my body.

I let myself cry.

I let myself be frustrated.

I let myself feel the grief of wishing I could do more for my kids.

But then I return to truth:

• I’m not a bad parent for struggling
• My kids have my love, and it’s steady
• This season is temporary
• I’m building something better, even if it’s slow

Healing is messy — and so is surviving.

5. Holding Onto Hope Without Pretending Everything Is Fine

I don’t know exactly how everything will work out.

But I do know this:

I’m trying.

I’m showing up.

I’m doing the best I can in a really hard chapter.

Some days look like resilience.

Some days look like quiet breakdowns at 2 a.m.

Both are part of the process.

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If You’re Going Through a Hard Season Too

I would really love to hear from you — if you feel comfortable sharing.

• What kinds of stress are you carrying right now?
• Are you navigating your own version of survival mode?
• What tools help you stay grounded when life feels heavy?
• How are the holidays feeling for you this year?

You don’t have to be positive.

You don’t have to have answers.

This is a space where you can be honest.

You’re not alone in your struggle, and you’re not “behind” because life is messy right now.

Some seasons are not about thriving — they’re about getting through, one breath, one moment, one tiny step at a time.

And that still counts as progress.

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You can explore the tools I have created for my own personal healing journey here:

👉 Stan Store: https://stan.store/Shroompy