As 2024 comes to an end and the holiday bustle settles down, a fresh year offers an opportunity to look back at the previous year and reflect on and look to the future with excitement. Over the course of an entire year, there’s always plenty of ups and downs. A year’s worth of experience carries with it a variety of positives and negatives; taking time to reflect can allow us to take with us any lessons or positive memories with us and carry it forward in a positive way.
Practicing gratitude is a positive way of self-reflection and a great way to look back at the previous 12 months. Gratitude isn’t just about being thankful, it’s about cultivating a mindset that can allow you to see your experiences in a whole new light. It can be as simple as taking time out of your day to think about and focus on previous moments of joy or connections and bring those positive emotions to the surface. Even past hardships can reveal our own inner strength and growth. Writing down your thoughts and experiences from the previous year in a journal can also be a great way of internalizing those positive emotions and holding on to happy memories.
While it’s great to reflect on the past, looking forward is also important. A great way to start the new year is with a new year’s resolution. If you’re not sure what goal you’d like to set, a great way is to think about what you’d most like to improve in 2025. For seniors, a popular goal is to improve their physical health. At Clover Living, we help our seniors by promoting healthy eating, going for excursions outdoors when the weather permits, and offering fitness and wellness programs to keep the residents moving!
Another popular news year’s resolution for seniors is to connect more with others. One idea might be to make a new friend this year. At Clover Living we always strive to foster a sense of community between our residents, the Calgary Chinatown community, and volunteer organizations such as the Calgary Chinese Elderly Citizens’ Association and the South Calgary Chinese Evangelical Free Church. We also have great partners like Fairchild Radio FM94.7 that regularly visit the community as well!
We also encourage our residents to invite their family into the community to celebrate special celebrations like Lunar New Year or Christmas, or to participate in many of our fun activities throughout the year like Stampede breakfasts and walk-a-thons!
We hope you’re able to take time to reflect and express gratitude for everything that 2024 brought, and embrace the new year feeling refreshed and excited for what’s to come!
