If the best is yet to come for those facing retirements, it’s not how everyone feels. While some cross off the remaining days with eager anticipation, there are others who dread the prospect of retirement.
Most of those in the first category are not necessarily those with solid financial security, more importantly they are those who have plenty if interests outside of a professional trade or career. They are likely to have constantly busy days later in life, with activities that will help bring years of contented retirement.
Those who dread the idea of retirement have often made their work their entire life, the centre of their universe, and it’s when that work comes to an end that what lies ahead looks like a huge void. What am I going to do with my days?
SEE ALSO: Time to Get Moving
Able and agile
Many who reach retirement age are well equipped with unique abilities and agile minds, which is why for some retirement looks like an abyss. But with some minor adjustment to lifestyle and mindset, the 65+ generation are often a great asset to local communities. You might join local committees or serve on the Parish Council, bringing your valuable expertise to a range of local issues.
Or the newly retired might come to the realisation that you can take up once again activities that you once enjoyed but had no time for it in the bustle of a busy working life.
Health and fitness
As we see throughout the pages of Dear Doctor, our health and fitness should remain a lifetime’s priority at any age. Dr Chris advises that: working to maintain physical and mental fitness should be part of everyday life for the retired.
Walking, quite serious walking, is enjoyed by many in this age sector, who join local rambling groups that offer not only the pleasures of walking, but also the social activity and companionship with likeminded people. Golf, too, is a very popular activity and even if the ramblers agree with Mark Twain who said ‘golf is a good walk spoilt’, perhaps that’s the point.
Mind and body
There’s no doubt that our faculties can decrease in the later years of life, but there have been many convincing tests showing that the more active we can be in mind and body, the longer we will help to keep our mental and physical abilities in good condition. Reading, playing chess, doing crosswords and many other similar mind activities are excellent for maintaining our brainpower—remembering that the brain is a muscle and, like all muscles, it needs regular exercise.
So, once you’ve overcome what you may at first feel is the downside of retirement, we can often discover a new type of freedom and new opportunities to enjoy new experiences. Perhaps we’ll finally take that cruise ship to a far off destination or see the sights we’ve only dreamt of, knowing, as you step into your retirement years, that life is good.
READ MORE: A Healthy Retirement
