Reaching retirement is something of a golden ticket – no more work, no more alarm clocks. Once you cross that finish line, you’ve got it made! You have all the time you want and the world is your oyster. Nothing can stand in your way. . .
Except yourself. At first it feels liberating to not have to deal with work emails and training luncheons: it’s the dream! No more time crunches, you can go golfing every Tuesday, and there’s nothing stopping you from staying in bed until 11am. Inevitably, however, many people find themselves with increasingly long, more empty days and sinking into post-retirement depression. The cure is even more simple than it seems: get up, get out, and find some new hobbies! Or reclaim old hobbies that were lost to jobs, school, and raising children. Now is your time to shine, seniors. Don’t let inactivity rob you of what can become some of your most fulfilling years.
1. Hobbies Come With Health Benefits
Participating in physically active hobbies will kill two birds with one stone. Your mind and body both benefit greatly from physical activities, and they do not have to be extremely taxing ones either. Light exercise is always better than no exercise. Regaining an active lifestyle can be intimidating, but getting involved can be one of the best choices you can make towards your health. Engaging in hobbies, such as a tennis club, group aerobics, or walks around the neighborhood can unite health with enjoyment. You won’t even feel like you’re working out, especially if you participate in these activities with other people.
Staying active encourages blood circulation, muscle stimulation, and keeps joints limber. No one wants to spend their days stuck in bed even when their health demands it. Take control of your health. Try bowling, playing shuffleboard, dance classes, or doing puzzles with a friend. Keep your mind sharp and your body agile.
2. Hobbies Help Stave Off Social Isolation
Social Isolation has always been a very real threat to seniors, even before the pandemic brought it to light for people of all ages. It affects seniors in particular who are not engaged in any enriching activities. Social Isolation can quickly lead to anxiety, depression, and a general sense of a loss of quality of life.
In the article “A Review of Social Isolation”, Nicholas R. Nicholson notes that “social isolation has been demonstrated to lead to numerous detrimental health effects in older adults, including increased risk for all-cause mortality, dementia, increase risk for re-hospitalization, and an increased number of falls.” The frightening reality of Social Isolation is that allowing yourself to slip into a depressive state can be deadly. What may start as an innocent loss of motivation can easily become dangerous.
Don’t spend your best years struggling to get out of bed or moving in and out of hospitals. Try getting involved in your community and spend more time with your family. Join a book club or play bingo at the community center with friends. Teach those wily grand-kids or great nieces and nephews about your childhood and pass along family stories and history. Learn to bake something new once a week. Go on a date. Get a dog!
3. Do Retirement on Your Terms
The best thing about retiring is doing things however you want, whenever you want. Traveling to new and exciting places, touring wine country, attending craft shows, golfing somewhere new each week. Whatever you want to do, wherever you want to go, now is the time to do it. Without the inhibition of work schedules or children to care for, you are able to freely go about your day doing whatever you please.
Hobbies serve as life’s enrichment. Be it building model airplanes or doing the daily crossword puzzle in the paper, there are a variety of leisure activities that everyone can enjoy. Don’t sacrifice that enjoyment! Take cooking classes, tour art museums, or try a new brunch spot each weekend and start a blog about the places that you’ve eaten at. Dreams are not just for the youth, and no one gets to tell you what to do anymore, unless they happen to wear a matching wedding band.
4. Stay Productive!
One of the most powerful causes of social isolation is abruptly moving from a life full of activity to one of dormancy. When your body is removed from the activity it is so used to performing, depression can quickly set in. Many find the will to do anything has been zapped due to retirement, despite their previous active lifestyles.
The correlation between moving and social isolation is abundantly clear. Much like the loss of muscle mass after wearing a cast, the body quickly begins to deteriorate without stimulation. Keeping productive keeps your body moving. Schedules and routines force our bodies to remain stimulated and work just as they had before, even if we move a little slower. Recurring events and hobbies give us things to look forward to. Everybody loves watching TV during their downtime, but you need up-time in order to fully enjoy your leisure time.
5. Enjoy Life and Have Fun!
It is easier to be happy and fulfilled in life if you are throwing yourself into activities you enjoy. Being involved with hobbies of all kinds is exactly what will make your golden years glow. Precious memories constantly being crafted with your children and grandchildren and family history is being created and shared. Many people think that senior years are just riddled with health issues and the sudden inability to move or think as well as the body moved and thought in your 20’s or 40’s. But there is still great joy to be found, new things to be discovered and live to be lived.
Numerous studies have shown once we become stationary, our bodies and our health follows suit, so don’t let that be true for you! There are books to read, shops to explore, puzzles to complete, dances to learn, and laughs to be shared. Quilts must be quilted. Grand-kids must be pinched and kissed. Hobbies get us moving, get our limbs grooving, and connect us to our loved ones. Don’t fear your golden years, just maybe don’t answer any phone calls before your morning coffee.
