Packing Your Emotional ToolKit ~ Struggling During the Holidays? Or not Struggling?

Off the subject of homesteading, but on the subject of life. . .

However, homesteading is work, so it pertains to it in a way too.  It can be stressful.  Physically and mentally.  Or you could be the one person who zips right through the day without a thought.

We all have an emotional toolkit.  Whether we realize it or not.  We reach for a mood booster or a stress reliever when our chips are down or when we are feeling at our lowest.  Thanksgiving and Christmas are so close together here in America, it can be very stressful and many are struggling for various reasons.

It could be a loss of a loved one, an estranged adult child, someone close who is sick/ill, or anything really.  Just cleaning the house for a large gathering can be stressful.  The cost of buying all the food, and the time making all the dishes can be overwhelming. It could be an unexpected medical bill(s) for some.  It could be an tragic accident, or even unexpected home repair bill.  

We have a friend who is struggling due to the loss of her husband.  Another friend is worried about her unborn grandbaby (doctor stated it will have health issues), and at the same time her Dad fell, is in a nursing home and was recently diagnosed with cancer.  

What do you have packed in your emotional toolkit?  What is your mood improver?

Ideas:

-Gardening (hard to do here in winter)

-Exercise

-Cooking/Baking

-Cleaning/Deep Cleaning/Purging 

-Going for a walk

-Travel

-Music

-Getting off social media 

-Read a book

-Call a friend or meet up with your "tribe"

-Journaling (writing a thankful page can be very helpful for some)

-Praying

-Do something nice for someone/donate a meal or service

-Volunteer somewhere

-Work on favorite hobby or start a  new hobby

-Go to the library and browse books for free.  It's a great start to looking for a new hobby, home project, or just find a good book to read.

-Watch funny or feel-good movies.  Do you have a list?

-Update your home with a new look.  Move furniture around, paint a room, change your curtains, or add a rug or new pillows.  The list is endless for this one, and can perk you up.

-Get outside

Any positive way to increase your positivity is the way to go.  

It's easy to get outside and get some sunshine when you have pets or farm animals.  Do you try and get sunshine in the winter?

What is your winter mood improver?  Holiday stress mood improver?

This and That

 Not much to talk about right now.  Going into the Christmas holiday, and winter time seems idle at the moment.  We've now had more rain, and the weather is said to be rain all weekend.  Not what we wanted to hear, with the coop work in progress.

I'm still not listening to Christmas music, nor decorating anything else.  Maybe I'll get there, and maybe I won't.  I tried to listen to Christmas music at the beginning of the week, and I just couldn't do it.  Not yet.

I'm missing my Mom this Christmas. Last year, this exact time, we were ripping out our entire living room floor and replacing the joists and flooring.  I think we were so busy working, that we didn't have time to "feel" during the holidays.

I did dig through some Christmas totes (was not easy to get to), for one daughter's Christmas stocking.  She came home from the hospital Christmas Eve in this handmade stocking (donated by a local resident).  

I can't believe all the ornaments we've accumulated over the years.  I will be going through those totes whenever we get a day to purge the garage.  

Buying more yarn at the check out at our local Meijer.  Yep.  Out of all the yarn I own, I did not have enough to make a matching scarf for my husband.  Luckily, Meijer had 2 skeins left.  Oh, and by the way, they had a section of hooks up now.  The last time I went, there were zero hooks for sale.  Anyway, I'm hoping I have enough yarn to finish his scarf. 

I do not have all of my yarn put away in their homes.  Not yet anyway.  I had some in every room in the house, ha ha!  I have also written down all of my unfinished projects and tucked it into my planner, so I can focus on getting them all done (before starting a new one).  My poor husband.  I had so much yarn in the bedroom, that I had to put it in bags to take back upstairs, ha ha!

I am working smarter this time around with unfinished handiwork.  The half-made items, along with their patterns, were all put inside one tote.  I was even smarter, by writing down the hook size on any pattern that did not state size.

I have already crossed off one unfinished project.   The ends are all sewn in, and the hot pad is tucked into my kitchen drawer.  These were fun to make, and it is a way to use small scraps of cotton yarn (on the inner areas anyway).

I have lost one knob for the master bath hardware.  We took one to the hardware store to make sure the screws we bought were correct.  Well, now that knob is hiding somewhere.  I am sure it's in a bag around here.

I made a batch of Einkorn peanut butter cookies.  However, I warned my husband that these have brown sugar in them, and are rolled in white sugar.  I sent some home with one of the kids, and next time I make them, I will try monk fruit in them.

I do miss all the holiday baking I used to do.  I miss the kids sitting around the table helping roll the buckeyes, and frosting my famous butter cut outs.  There maybe cut outs this year.  I guess we'll see.  

I would love to return a tradition with my grandkids, but  worried my grand daughter would want to eat all the candy.  They built sugar cube candy castles.

Question:  does anyone have a sugar free powdered peppermint mocha coffee creamer recipe?  I'm looking for something that is giftable (why I said powdered), but sugar free, and sugar substitute free (other than monk fruit)?

I looked online, and found some with liquid vs powdered. Thanks in advance!