5 Ways to Get the Most out of your Retirement
Retirement can be an intimidating prospect for many, especially with its connotations of boredom and loneliness. It absolutely doesn’t have to be like that however. With a little forward planning, and some thought, your retirement can be the most enjoyable part of your life.
Hobbies
You know what suddenly having a huge amount of free time is absolutely perfect for? Learning new hobbies! A lot of people go through their whole lives wishing they could paint, surf, ski, cook or wood carve, and they never truly have the time or resources to pursue it. There’s a lot of different ones out there to try.
That’s what you should be pencilling into your retirement diary; a guitar lesson here, a salsa class there and a couple of exotic recipes found on the internet for tea. Find new things to love, explore and grow within. Learning a language is another great one.
Travelling
We’ve all seen glorious pictures and heard stories about Spain, the south of France, Cornwall, Ireland, and a million other fabulous locations. But family holidays are expensive, and time off work is sparse.
Well, the kids are grown, and the work is done, it’s time to start trying to remember all the places you dreamed of visiting. Hey, you might even find somewhere you love enough to move there permanently!
Working
It’s not always the best idea to give up on your career entirely. Stopping working and living off your pension might not just mean that moneys ever so slightly tighter, but also that you get a little bored.
It could be a good idea to find a part time role, a job you can do from home, voluntary work or some other kind of toned down work. Having worked your whole life, do you really want to stop and let your experience and knowledge go to waste? There’s lots of great ideas out there for the more entrepreneurially minded.
Family
We’ve all heard ‘Cats in the Cradle’, and it’s attitude about reconnecting with the kids when you retire, but getting to really know your family and grandkids now you’ve got the time is actually a really beautiful and great thing to do.
Getting close to family again is important in your later years, and you should definitely be prioritising it, and if you’ve not got family locally, maybe it’s time to visit the more far flung ones. A trip to Canada or Australia may be in order, if you’ve family there!
Dangers
There aren’t many dangers to retirement, it must be said, but the most insidious and worrying is always going to be health. Remaining in great shape physically is important, whether that’s through heading to the gym, doing some sport, or going hiking. In terms of mental health, you simply need to stay active. Keep learning, keep growing, keep fit and eat well, and depression shouldn’t trouble you.
All this requires planning ahead, and a key part of planning is making sure things are taken care of after you’re gone. Making sure your funeral and will are completely sorted is important. All it takes is making contact with a great quality funeral service, and it’s done! No more worries.