Six Ways To Enjoy Retirement More

What do you imagine when you dream of retirement? Beach house? Traveling the world? Time to enjoy your hobbies and passions? 

Finding happiness in retirement goes far beyond relaxing in your chair and sipping your favorite beverage. Here are six crucial tips to enjoy retirement more.

Safeguard Wealth With Budgeting

Everyone knows that money can’t buy happiness (people with money might respectfully disagree), but it’s essential for a happy and stress-free retirement. A study by the Center for Retirement Research at Boston College on what makes retirees happy reaffirms the importance of money. 

Please don’t do what many people do: go on a spending spree when they finally access their nest egg, only to end up penniless a few months later. 

Remember, you must take charge of your accumulated wealth and spend it wisely because your days getting a paycheck every couple of weeks are over. 

Structure & Routine

You are free to do whatever you wish when you retire. No more alarm clocks, rush hour traffic, or clocking-in. Freedom! But with great freedom comes great responsibility. So avoid slipping lazily into unhealthy patterns that are detrimental to your health and well-being. 

Doctors recommend following a healthy and productive routine that includes your favorite activities and any recommended healthy activities to prevent this from happening. By structuring your day with a routine that guards your priorities, you will avoid feelings of purposelessness that so many retirees feel within a few months into retirement.

Stay in Touch

A study by the University of Chicago revealed that feelings of extreme loneliness increase a retiree’s chances of early death by as much as 14%!

Retirement can remove you from most of your social networks if you’re not careful, drastically reducing the amount of social connection you experience daily. 

Make an effort to stay in touch by reaching out and staying in touch with your friends. Volunteer. Participate in a faith community. Enjoy group classes at the gym. The effects of extreme loneliness can be deadly. 

Engage Life!

You have a purpose. Live your life! You have a role to play. Maintain an active presence in your family, house of faith, or help out your community somehow. Staying active gives you an outlet for enjoying social connection and living out your purpose, both of which are essential to a retiree’s happiness and well-being. 

Stay Physically Active 

Go ahead and enjoy your easy chair; just don’t fall in love with it! Research has shown that frequent exercise helps ward off several health issues and boosts energy levels. Physical activity is even more critical to your physical and mental well-being when you’re retired for maintaining energy and independence. The National Institute on Aging (NIA) recommends four types of exercise for retirees.

Copy Tom Brady and Train Your Brain Even If Not A Fan

Retirement is a GREAT time to pursue hobbies that have been left on the back burner or to read books, learn new languages, or perhaps take a few college courses just because you’re interested in learning about the second law of thermodynamics.  

According to researchers at Harvard Medical School, training your brain yields lasting benefits. Training your brain strengthens memory and keeps the brain functioning at high levels.

It’s not as hard as you might think either. It’s as simple as reading books, painting, doing puzzles, or learning a new skill. You’ll enjoy a sense of achievement, too, which has its benefits. Get creative with it too! Consider joining a group that shares similar passions, and enjoy making new friends in the process. A group has the advantage of pushing you past your comfort zone, which is great for stimulating the brain.

An enjoyable, satisfying retirement is yours if you want it. All you have to do is take charge of your time by prioritizing what’s most important so you don’t sit around collecting dust and rust. By making these healthy, longevity-producing choices a part of your lifestyle, a satisfying retirement filled with happiness and purpose will be yours to enjoy!