Enjoy Life After Retirement

Enjoy Life After Retirement

Aren't you ready to enjoy life after retirement? We all want to leave all of the day to day work behind and do what we want to do, even if that is working at home in the woodshop or in the garden. For most people, retirement is not what was expected. It is not easy to wake up every morning with no where to go and nothing to do. When you work for 40 plus years for eight hours a day, five days a week, getting up and doing nothing is not all it is cracked up to be.

Some people are able to retire and do nothing but sit in the easy chair and watch game shows all day. However, it is these people that most often deteriorate the fastest, both physically and mentally. Many become sick and several die, especially men, within five years of their retirement.

Retirement does not have to be that way for you. While you were working, you were using your mind every day to work through challenges and communicate with people in the outside world. You can keep that up in retirement as well, you just have to keep in mind that you are important and you have something important to do. There are so many things that you can do by volunteering that would make a huge difference in someone's life. You could be a mentor at a girls and boys club, you could volunteer at summer camps as a counselor, cook, or groundsman. Some people become involved in volunteering at local hospitals or nursing homes.

If you have been employed with the same company for many years, they may wish to keep you on in a part time position or as a consultant so that all the knowledge that you gained over the years is not lost as you take the next step in your life. By you being a consultant, you not only are helping your company better itself, but you are also bettering yourself.

Receiving enjoyment from retirement should not be something that you have to work at. If the things we have listed do not interest you, there is always a hobby to take up. You may possibly have a skill that you learned in wood shop or home economics class back in high school that you now have time to perfect. If you are not as agile as you used to be and don't feel like that scale model of the Eiffel Tower is in your near future, try something similar like building a dollhouse for your granddaughter or for a hospital playroom. Some seniors even learn new skills in their retirement years. Many colleges and universities, as well as some community centers, offer classes at low or no cost for adult education in different fields.

Not only can active retirees help themselves, they can help their less active colleagues and friends. Organize a short trip to a mountain chalet or beach cottage. Get a group together for a senior exercise class. Start a quilting group or get together once a week and prepare a meal together and have a game night. The possibilities are endless.

Scientists have found that a senior citizen with an active mind and body lives longer than one with a more sedentary state. Seniors who have at least a moderate exercise level in their lives have greater enthusiasm for life and a higher sex drive than those that don't exercise.

How do you enjoy life after retirement? You stay alert and do what you said you were going to do 40 years ago - Have fun when you retire!