Things to Do When You Retire

Working takes up a considerable amount of time. If you use to work a traditional 9-5 day, you will know that personal hobbies and activities take second place. When you work full-time, it’s hard to fit in all that you want to do, and time is a precious commodity.

Retirement is the end of life as you know it, but it’s certainly not the end. Retirement marks the start of a new chapter, and you should embrace the new freedom. So how can you fill your time with the endless days ahead of you?

Travel

When work dominates most of your daily life, it’s hard to visit all the places you would like. If you have saved for a retirement fund, you should book some holidays and tick off some places from your bucket list. If you haven’t made a list yet, you should sit down and decide on where you want to go and create a budget.

If you’ve spent years saving, you could call in the services of a financial advisor who can help you plan a budget so you have a clear idea of where you can go and how much to apportion each part of the trip.

When creating the list, try to write it in priority order. You may not realistically have the finances or energy to travel the world, but you can certainly see the most important places.

Decide if you want more of an adventure such as road trips, ferries or fast trains, or the travel part to be as simple as possible, such as flying and taxis.

Investigate the area and plan an itinerary. Don’t try to pack too much into the trip and plan some downtime too. Long haul flights can be exhausting, so factor in the practicality of this.

Always get the appropriate insurance. You may feel as fit as when you were 21, but age-related conditions can strike at any time, and you won’t enjoy being away from home and needing medical care without insurance or a policy with limited cover. You should investigate online all the insurance options. If you plan to go skiing or climbing a high mountain, you may want to invest in a policy with more extensive cover.

Look after your health

Looking after your health as you get older is vital for wellbeing. As bodily processes slow down and moving around becomes a little more difficult, you’ll need to take a little extra care.

Make sure you get all the right nutrients through food or supplements. As bones get old, they become more susceptible to breakages and injury, so taking a good quality supplement like glucosamine and fish oil for strong bones.

It’s also crucial in later years to take extra care of your teeth. As bones weaken so the teeth around the gum can come loose and result in tooth loss. By increasing oral hygiene, you can slow the process down and improve dental health.

Be careful how much alcohol you consume. As the body ages, the ability to process alcohol changes and slows down, so you won’t tolerate as much as you used to.

If you find you need some assistance around the house or are feeling isolated, you could explore assisted living Encinitas for assisted housing options. They offer community-based living with packages that include housekeeping, entertainment, a swimming pool, and other amenities.

Volunteering

If you enjoy relatively good health and want to get involved in something useful, you could volunteer your time to something you care about.

Volunteering gives people a sense of purpose. Giving up time and energy without the expectation of monetary compensation is rewarding and is good for keeping the mind focused. It’s also a great way to stay socially connected and make new friends. It’s also a good way of addressing the generation gap. Older people have years of experience and usually a story or two to tell. Engaging with young people allows them to pass on their wisdom and help guide young people if needed.

There are also opportunities to volunteer abroad, which allows you to explore a new country while using skills and knowledge as well as contributing to positive, long-lasting change. Volunteering is a fantastic way to ‘give back’. Search up overseas volunteering for a list of projects you can get involved in.

If you prefer to stay near the calmer waters of home, you can apply for volunteering opportunities nearby. Decide if you want to use existing skills or branch out and learn new things. Most volunteering charities and organizations will provide training, so it’s a great way of enhancing skills and developing new ones.

New hobbies/new career 

Retirement is the ideal time to start a new hobby. It’s also important for keeping the mind active and engaged. It helps prevent dementia and improves memory.

Exercise is vital for older folk to help keep muscles strong and limbs supple. You could try your hand at a new sport. Learning a technical sport such as tennis will engage the mind and keep the body strong.

Staying active will help prevent age-related illnesses such as heart disease, strokes, and diabetes. It will also prevent obesity which is a risk factor for the disease, especially in the later years.

If you’re not quite ready to say goodbye to the working world, you can use the time to learn a new job. There are thousands of classes available online and at local colleges; you could even enroll in an Open University course and earn yourself a degree. It’s never too late to pursue a new career or gain more knowledge.

If you want to spruce up your home, then why not enlist the help of YouTube and start a DIY project. YouTube is full of interesting videos and tutorials that are free and easy to follow. Creating things is good for the soul, and you can make your home look gorgeous in the process.

Retiring is the beginning of a new chapter and can be the very best part of life!