Activity Notes

New Year, Lasting Traditions

It’s hard to believe that we are putting 2018 behind us and moving on to a new year!  The holidays are always bustling with activity at the care center and at home.  There are several traditions here that I enjoy and traditions at home that I treasure.  We had a schedule change to one of our annual traditions last month, and it turned out better than expected.  We bumped up the resident Christmas party and visit from Santa to earlier in the day on Christmas Eve.  It was nice to see more families able to attend and have more staff available to help pass out presents.  Sometimes traditions evolve and change for the better!

And sometimes change is hard and stressful.  And sometimes, holidays, even with all the joy, excitement, and festivities, are hard and stressful.  It is easy to find yourself overwhelmed, spread thinly, and just plain down!  I struggled with that this year as we are getting ready to relocate (closer to the facility) over the holidays.  It is also easy to over-indulge in the delicious goodies, candies, cookies, and treats that are in abundance and that can leave you feeling “plumper” than usual.

To help us beat these holiday stressors and to start our new year on a positive and healthy foot, I am planning several occasions to exercise our bodies and minds!  Be on the look-out for these intentional activities which will include morning exercises (which are already a tradition), trivia, laughter yoga, Monday meditations, breathing exercises, aromatherapy, making music, and writers’ group.  I would also like to encourage our card players to start getting together in the afternoons for a friendly game (even when I am not here).  So, remember to be intentional about beating stress, take some time to move your body, relax, renew, and exercise your mind!  I’m looking forward to seeing where this new year takes us!

~Debbie Johnson, Activity Director