A Rewarding Retirement Goes Beyond Financial Planning

Even if you’ve been looking forward to a life of leisure, coping with retirement can be a challenge. It doesn’t just reduce your income—it changes your identity, your relationships, and your purpose in life. “You may have spent decades cultivating a career and a workplace routine, but retirement has less structure,” says Judith Neugroschl, MD, assistant professor of psychiatry at Mount Sinai. “After 40 or 50 years of structure, it can be difficult to come to terms with the change.”

Research suggests that seniors may experience an initial “sugar rush” of happiness that declines in the years following retirement—but there are things you can do to prepare yourself. “While you may have tended to focus on your financial portfolio as you near retirement, think about also building a physical and mental health portfolio that will help you fill your newfound free time in satisfying and meaningful ways,” Dr. Neugroschl advises.

Contingency Plan As retirement approaches, set up a contingency plan for activities you can engage in once you give up work. “Create a mix of social and solitary, active and sedentary, physical, mental, and emotional activities,” Dr. Neugroschl says. “If there is something you’ve always wanted to do but could never find the time, investigate your options for doing so.”

Physical activities with a social component include golf, tennis, or team sports. Also consider walking groups (ask at your local senior center or YMCA). Mental stimulation can be found with card and board games, book groups, or crossword puzzles. Rewarding sedentary pursuits include arts and crafts, and creative writing. “If you live close to a local community college, investigate what’s on offer—for example, you could learn to play an instrument, or learn a new language,” Dr. Neugroschl says. “There is evidence that challenging your brain with new interests may help to protect cognition as you age.”

Finding Purpose Volunteering also can be socially rewarding, particularly for people who miss the structure of a work environment. “People who’ve been used to feeling productive all through their working lives can benefit from volunteering,” Dr. Neugroschl observes. “It enables them to feel as if they are contributing something meaningful to their community.”

Volunteering also provides vital social interaction that may help protect your brain health as you age. Plus, it may benefit your heart health if it involves physical activity—one 2013 study found that seniors who volunteered for 200 hours during one year had a lower risk for high blood pressure than those who didn’t volunteer. Your local senior center or place of worship may have volunteer opportunities; also visit Volunteer Match (www.volunteermatch.org).   

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