Many changes take place during retirement.
Finding ways to stay socially active can be difficult, but there are now many more ways to connect with friends and relatives than before.
Retirement offers the time to travel and explore new places, even if it is simply seeing a local show or visiting an especially beautiful park or garden.
If you are feeling overwhelmed, don’t worry.
This is normal and can happen after regular schedules such as going to work or meeting friends during lunch breaks don’t apply anymore.
However, there is a definite upside to retirement, which is why so many people look forward to it for years.
Here are some things to consider that can make retirement more fulfilling and enable you to stay active.
Travel
The world is now your oyster, and you can take advantage of plenty of opportunities to travel.
Have a look at where you can travel to with senior rail days, plan trips with old friends and begin to see family members that you don’t usually see very often.
Begin before retirement
It’s best to start building your social life before you retire.
Once you have retired, there are often less opportunities to meet new people.
Strengthen bonds with work colleagues and attend parties and invitations where you can make connections.
Once you have retired, building those relationships will become a lot easier.
You will have plenty of free time to meet friends, go for coffee or even attend courses together in order to learn new skills.
Join a club
Keep yourself active by joining clubs with other people your age, e.g., gardening clubs, walking clubs, going bowling, or attending recently retired groups.
Not only will you be able to connect with others, you can acquire new skills, stay active and keep your mind occupied on the present and near future.
Why is it important to stay social in our retirement?
Staying social is so important in retirement not only because we all need meaningful connections.
It is also especially valuable, because it is very important to maintain a structure that most of us have gotten used to in the workplace over many years.
Staying social is important because it:
- Provides a sense a belonging and feeds our personal identity.
- Adds meaning to life and strengthens self-worth.
- Provides support, making it easier to handle problems and keeping stress levels in check.
- Gives us something to do and someone to do it with.
Staying active and approaching life in a positive way allows you to continue to lead a meaningful and happy life.
If you are feeling lost, remember that there are many people who may feel the same way that you do and are hoping to connect after having left work.