Whatever holiday you celebrate this season, even if you’re surrounded by family and friends, it can be stressful. Making sure that your body and mind can handle stress is the best gift that you can give yourself. One of the best ways to improve your overall health and stress-handling ability is through Bioenergetics. Bioenergetics uses computerized testing and treatment to effectively determine and treat any imbalance or weakness in the body that is preventing you from achieving both optimal stress management and improved health. This holiday season, make sure that stress isn’t an unwanted gift that you can’t give back.
Community News
Rejuvenate with Sound Healing
Escaping the hustle and bustle of the holiday season is a gift to yourself. A sound bath meditation offers the perfect retreat, helping you reconnect and recharge. As soothing sounds wash over you, stress fades, and a deep sense of relaxation takes over. This calming practice quiets the mind and nurtures the spirit, providing a powerful way to restore inner peace. With renewed energy, you’ll approach the season with greater ease, joy, and balance. Ideal for anyone seeking a gentle yet effective way to rejuvenate, a sound bath offers a peaceful escape from the holiday stress.
Avoid the Winter Blues
The Canadian Physical Activity Guidelines suggest adults should perform at least 150 minutes of moderate aerobic exercise per week, as well as two sessions of muscle and bone strengthening activities, to achieve physical AND mental health benefits. With winter coming, and the challenges of leaving home, this can seem daunting! Your physiotherapist can tailor an exercise program designed specifically for you to do inside with minimal space (to help avoid the cold weather!), and with equipment everyone has around their home. At 30 minutes per day, the benefits of exercise are countless, while the side effects are minimal.
Why Hire an End-of-Life Doula?
An end-of-life doula offers compassionate, holistic support to individuals and families during the deeply personal journey of dying. Unlike medical providers, doulas are dedicated to creating a comforting, personalized experience that honors each person’s unique needs and wishes. They assist with life reviews, helping individuals reflect on and celebrate their lives, and can organize living funerals—special gatherings where loved ones can come together to share memories and gratitude while the person is still present. Doulas also facilitate conversations around final wishes and provide a non-judgmental, supportive presence. By easing fears around death and offering a space for closure, end-of-life doulas bring dignity, meaning, and a sense of fulfillment to life’s final chapter.
Coping with Seasonal Depression
Winter’s shorter days can take a toll on mood and energy, but you don’t have to go through it alone. Seasonal depression is real, and there are ways to tackle it that make a difference. Start by getting outside as much as you can to soak up natural light—even a few minutes can help lift your spirits. Light therapy lamps can also be a great option when the sun is scarce. Staying active is another powerful tool, as exercise releases endorphins that boost mood. Connecting with friends, finding meaningful activities, sticking to a sleep routine, and eating well all play a role in keeping your mental health on track.
Give the Gift of Energy Healing
With so many juggling family gatherings, gift-buying, and travel, a Reiki healing session can be a perfect, thoughtful gift for loved ones needing rejuvenation. Rooted in Japanese tradition, Reiki involves the transfer of universal life force energy through the practitioner’s hands to the recipient. By offering Reiki, one shares not just a momentary experience but a pathway to inner harmony. The energy transferred can alleviate stress, encourage clarity, and catalyze the body’s self-healing mechanisms. Energy healing can be a meaningful experience, helping people recharge and enter the New Year revitalized.
Clean Eating Recipe
Protein Peppermint Bark: Dark Chocolate Layer: 2 c. Greek yogurt. 1/4 c. maple syrup. 1 ½ tsp. peppermint extract. 1/4 c. dark cocoa powder. Stir to combine. Spread the mixture onto lined baking sheet. Freeze 30 min. White Peppermint Layer: 2 c. Greek yogurt; 1/4 cup maple syrup. 1 tsp peppermint extract; ½ tsp vanilla. Stir to combine. Spread the white layer over the frozen chocolate layer and freeze for 3 hours. Break into bite-size portions and enjoy!
Christmas Dinner/Takeaway
This year, our Christmas Dinners are on December 5th and 11th. Come down and enjoy a hot turkey or ham lunch and entertainment to get you in the festive mood. Please call the Golden Circle for tickets. Are you tired of cooking? Do you want a Christmas meal on Christmas Day but don’t want the hassle of getting the groceries and turning on the oven? This year, our chef will be making take-home packages for you to enjoy Christmas Dinner. You can purchase dinner packages with all the fixings for 2, 4, or 6 people. Details will be out at the start of December; please phone 403-343-6074 for more information.
Brokered Workers Needed!
Do you know anyone or want to make some extra cash?
The Golden Circle’s Brokered Worker program is administered through our Outreach Department Some of the
services provided are:
• Light housekeeping
• Lawn and garden work
• Minor handyman repairs
• Snow shovelling
• Painting
• One-time cleaning
The Golden Circle screens and interviews the Brokered Worker and matches them with clients. Reimbursement is
$20.00/hr, with a two (2) hour minimum charge for housekeeping and other in-home work and a one-hour minimum for snow shovelling lawn and garden. Clients pay the Brokered Worker directly.
Are you interested in becoming a Brokered Worker through the Golden Circle? Connect with Kelly Thompson to answer any questions you may have. Phone: 403-343-6074 or Email: [email protected]
Volunteer Drivers Needed!
Do you have your vehicle, a clean driving record, a clear vulnerable sector criminal record check, and a flexible schedule? Are you looking for a volunteer opportunity that will allow you to spend time with older adults while supporting their health and well-being? The Golden Circle recognizes the need to provide transportation to older adults aged fifty and up (50+) in Red Deer,
Red Deer County and surrounding rural communities who do not have other means of transportation. This service is provided by volunteer drivers using their vehicles. It is available to clients for medical appointments, escorted Grocery
Shopping, and attending programs at the Golden Circle to address social isolation. Supportive transportation is available Monday through Friday between 8:30 am and 4:30 pm. To be registered for the supportive transportation program, individuals must first be assessed by an Outreach Coordinator. If you are interested in becoming a volunteer driver, please contact Kelly Thompson for more information at 403-343-6074. Email: [email protected]
Christmas Cash Raffle Fundraiser
Christmas is around the corner, and what’s a better time to win cash than this time of year? The Golden Circle’s Christmas Cash Raffle is back again for 2024! Tickets are just $5.00 each, and only 3,500 have been printed.1st prize is $3,000.00, 2nd is $1,500.00, 3rd is $750.00. You must be at least 18 and an Alberta resident to purchase.
Tickets are being sold at various locations throughout the city, including Parkland Mall, CoOp Timberstone, and Parkland Nurseries Winter Market. Watch our social media pages or visit the Golden Circle at 4620 47A Avenue in Red Deer to purchase your tickets. The draw date will be Wednesday, December 11, 2024, at 11:30 a.m., just before turkey hot lunch, at the Golden Circle. Phone: 403-343-6074 www.goldencircle.ca Social Media @GoldenCircleRD
