Active in Retirement - Shaping the Golden Time Wonderfully!
For the most part, we humans look forward to retirement after a certain age. The time of work is over for us or it will soon be over. Whether it's working on the assembly line or on the manager's floor with your own office: most of the time, the job was stressful. When you retire, you can say: this kind of stress is a thing of the past. Surely you have thought a lot about what you will do during this time, made plans and dreamed a lot about how your life as a retiree should be shaped.
Now the time has come to do all the things that have always had to wait: Maybe as a retiree you have the idea of squeezing as much as possible into the time you have left. With this article, we will help you to shape your retirement in the way that is ideal for you.
The first and most important rule: avoid empty desk syndrome!
What sounds like a joke at first glance is a serious problem for many senior citizens: after the first days and weeks of new freedom, a feeling of emptiness and uselessness suddenly sets in, and the newly retired quickly realises that they are missing work. This sounds really bizarre, but it is no surprise. Just think about which aspects of work suddenly disappear:
- Recognition and fulfilment
- Many friends and social contacts
- Identification with the company and its products
- Valuable expertise that now loses its usefulness
- Daily routine regulated by job
The last point is definitely the most important: as a retiree you can easily fall into the trap of putting your feet up and doing nothing at all. Then, when the severity of the empty desk syndrome sets in, you can't get going and all plans to actively approach retirement are postponed for the time being.
In the transition period, it helps if you make a plan; just until you get used to the freedom. This plan should include getting up, eating breakfast, brushing your teeth, early morning exercise and everything else you need for a regular daily routine. There are plenty of alternatives for other aspects that you lack:
- Do you miss your colleagues? Get active in clubs or sports!
- You want to do something meaningful or even productive? Do voluntary work!
- You don't have enough money from your previous income? You can still earn extra money in retirement!
With all this in mind, it's worth taking a deeper look at this category, where we explain in detail which activities are possible in old age: From sports and artistic activities to board games and excursions that unite generations. We have suggestions for every type! Feel free to browse through the category!
Rethinking the very rough planning
Retirement becomes the best time when it has a rough direction. Some of this is already predetermined: For example, it plays a big role in planning whether you live in a civil partnership or alone. Of course, you also have to consider how much strain you can put on your body; for example, with sports or whether you have health restrictions and have to find alternatives.
In retirement, you can do whatever you want, and some ideas are life-changing. Others are a continuation of your previous life. Just ask yourself a few questions and think about the following things:
- Are you planning a whole new thing, for example a hobby or a sport?
- Do you want to go into business and start your own business?
- Do you want to turn everything upside down and completely reinvent yourself as a person?
- Are you drawn to faraway places and will you travel the world from now on?
- Or would you prefer to relocate completely, maybe even abroad?
- What do you still want to do with your children, grandchildren and siblings while you can?
- Have you imagined your life as a retiree as a big break in which you only do what is good for you?
Empty-desk syndrome and rough planning: these are the two important things you'd better think about before your first day as a retiree, because now the fun part begins!
Active in retirement: deeds instead of words!
If you don't want to sit out your retirement years, but want to live actively, then planned projects are the be-all and end-all! New hobbies are therefore at the top of the list of the most popular activities in retirement. In addition to the ample time available to the retiree, another aspect is important: the children are out of the house and living independently, so many financial obligations are also eliminated. Perhaps a few insurance policies or savings contracts will still be paid out. Relatively expensive hobbies are then possible, which were previously out of the question for reasons of both time and money.
But there are also plenty of hobbies that are free - quite the opposite: as a pensioner, you can even find hobbies that still earn you money. You don't believe that? Then think about the many things that require an enormous amount of knowledge if you want to do them properly. For example, a stamp collector can simply buy stamps and put them in an album. But that is only one side of the coin. Namely, the other side of the coin allows him to learn about making money with stamps thanks to the internet. He uses this knowledge for lucrative business by selling the one stamp that can be bought cheaply in place A to a collector in place B who is still missing exactly this stamp. The same works with Beetle collections and tin toys.
Maybe you have an artistic streak? Writing, painting, knitting or sewing: these things are also free. But they also offer you the chance to earn money by selling your own work.
If you are looking for suggestions for individual hobbies, our platform with its numerous other articles is a source of information!
Investing time for others
But without a doubt, the greatest satisfaction comes from the time you give away to help others. Couldn't your children use some support right now? With building a house, buying a car or with the garden? Don't you have decades of accumulated knowledge that you would like to pass on lovingly and patiently to your grandchildren? In this way you maintain family cohesion and are also praised and loved by everyone for your skills!
There is certainly a lot to do in your immediate neighbourhood as well. Nowadays, almost everyone has something that is left undone because there is no help available; people who cannot do some jobs because they are alone or simply do not know how to do something. In the meantime, several portals for neighbourly help have established themselves on the Internet, where you can offer to help with those things that you know well yourself. This work is not paid, but most websites of this kind have a system according to which you can also get help in those areas in which you no longer know anything.
If you are willing to volunteer, you will always be welcomed with open arms. Whether in clubs or charitable organisations: Able and willing helpers are in high demand everywhere. Besides, you get to know a lot of like-minded people in such activities.
Conclusion
Being active in retirement is a task well worth doing. In one set of activities you are a do-gooder and a Samaritan. In another set of activities, you are the entrepreneur in old age. Whatever you are looking for and want to do: There are many options for retirement activities, which we at Alterix will inform you about in detail in the other articles in this category. So go ahead and discover the new talents!
