Trying to find your “purpose in life” can be a difficult task at any age. This can be especially difficult for retirees, as their lives begin to slow down, and they have more time to explore new ideas, interests, and activities.
The days of waking up and getting the kids ready for school before heading off to work are gone. Although many of us feel the sting of an empty nest or miss our old office space, the reality is that older people have so much more time to invest in themselves and their goals after retirement.
Do not miss an opportunity to focus on yourself, find a new purpose in life and rediscover previous ambitions and loves. A busy schedule can fill your day with a lot of activity while navigating your professional career, however, you can spend your retirement years on fewer, higher-quality, and inspiring pursuits that will feed your soul.
Were you once an artist? Perhaps a carpenter? Or maybe you are a former chess champion that has not played in years? Now’s the time to rediscover what makes you happy and fills you with excitement. Your retirement years are for you. It is hard-earned and takes a long time to reach, that’s why retirement years are for exploration, rediscovery, relaxation, and freedom.
It can be a bit of a culture shock to go through these lifestyle changes. After years of taking care of your loved ones, performing in your career, and focusing on others, you suddenly have free days and calm mornings. Yes, it can be strange, but it can also be fun, intentional, and purposeful.
Living Life with a Purpose
In order to overcome the possibly unnerving calm and quiet of your post-retirement schedule, you need focus on goals, activities, and hobbies that drive your purpose. Living life with a purpose can take many forms and develop at different rates. What matters to you and what inspires you is your choice. Maybe you want to explore social service opportunities or travel the world with a loved one.
Perhaps you are interested in sharing your wisdom and experience with the community around you or learning a new language or picking up an old instrument. Once you have determined your goals and interests, you will be able to spend your days performing activities and trying new things that will help you define that purpose.
6 Ways of Leading an Active and Purposeful Lifestyle Post Retirement
Leading an active lifestyle that supports your new goals and life’s purpose will be the most important step after retiring. After which, you can begin organising your daily life to support your newfound purpose and fill your days with meaningful activities.
As you try to lead an active lifestyle post retirement, you should consider these 6 steps:
Creating a Schedule
Leading a disciplined life can be difficult without the structure of your professional and familial responsibilities. Creating a schedule that is intentional and fulfilling will be a critical part of your transition into post-retirement life. Concentrate on taking care of your needs. Besides your new hobbies and activities, you should try to sleep 8 hours a night, exercise 30 minutes a day and take any prescribed medications, regularly.
De-stress and Relax
This can be easier said than done but focusing on destressing and relaxing should be a top priority for those living a post-retirement life. Elderly members of society have spent their working lives taking care of their professional and familial responsibilities. By destressing and relaxing our minds, our mood improves, our body recuperates, and our soul replenishes. Try meditating 30 minutes a day or writing in a journal, use part of your day to look inside and prioritise calm and happiness.
Activities with a Purpose
Performing activities that are focused on our new goals and interests make living a purposeful life much easier. Spend 2 to 3 hours (at least) on activities that are complementary to your newfound purpose. If it is social service or learning new skills, teaching your community, or following an athletic pursuit, you need to make this a central feature of your post-retirement daily activities.
Spending Time with Loved Ones
Spending time with your friends and family’s important post retirement. We spend many of our office days wishing we could have had more dinners with family or drinks with friends. Work may have prevented you from travelling to meet loved ones overseas or meet friends with conflicting work schedules. Spouses, children, grandchildren, friends, and other loved ones can finally get all of the attention and time we’ve been wanting to share with them.
Spending Time on Yourself
Retirement gives us an opportunity to focus on our mental and physical well-being and health. This time allows us to pause, reflect and appreciate the past, as well as planning and organising for the future. Purpose cannot be found by someone else; we need to inspire those ambitions within ourselves. You will be the writer of your life’s next chapter, enjoy it.
Take Time Off
Yes, you need to find your new life’s purpose and fill your schedule with activities that help you grow and develop in your post-retirement years. However, you also need to take some time for yourself. You have worked all your life and focused on so many different responsibilities, you deserve a break.
Take time off for leisurely activities, like painting, meditating, or playing an instrument, and enjoy your new life. Calm and quiet does not need to mean boredom or inactivity, it can be time well-spent on yourself, a chance to kick your feet up and enjoy the spoils of your post-retirement life.
Deciding where you are going to live is an important part of defining your post-retirement lifestyle. If you’re a retiree that’s considering where to call home on this new and exciting chapter of your life – consider one of Manor Retirement’s beautiful and bustling communities.
