“Retirement is not a permanent vacation!” is a common refrain of retirees who are succeeding in life after work, and it reflects the need to be active – and actively engaged in – meaningful pursuits during this important life stage. With their work life behind them, retirees often must deal with the challenge of finding activities that can provide them with the fulfillment and social interactions that their careers or businesses once did. And, with Canadians living longer than ever, our “golden years” can potentially stretch over 30 or 40-plus years.
That’s a lot of time to fill and, unfortunately, many retirees who enter retirement with little or no planning around what they will do find themselves eventually without a purpose or mission in life. This can lead to a sense of emptiness, malaise and isolation.
“The trick to a fulfilling retirement is staying engaged and energized with activities that bring you a sense of fulfillment, meaning and social engagement,” says life care planning, aging and caregiving issues expert Audrey Miller, founder and managing partner of Elder Caring Inc., and RBC Wealth Management partner.
To help, here are five activities that Audrey suggests you can do to “get busy” and help ensure you are enjoying a fulfilling retirement:
While this list is not exhaustive, it is important to consider how you want to spend your time in retirement to ensure that you remain engaged, active and socialized. And activities can remain part-time or manageable and flexible, allowing a retiree to enjoy the benefits they offer, while still leaving time to engage with family and friends – or, to just truly enjoy one’s well-earned time in retirement, writing your next chapter when and how you see fit.
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