Monday, November 24, 2014

Ingredients for a Happy Retirement


Retirement involves major changes in your income, lifestyle, social life, and self-image.  Not surprisingly, retirement can be very stressful – or blissful.

Advance planning is a key ingredient for a happy retirement. According to a survey conducted by researchers at the University of Michigan, 75 percent of those who had planned for retirement enjoyed it.

Here are some suggestions on how to make your retirement more satisfying.

Get a part-time job. For some people, gradual retirement is easier to handle than being having work one day and not having work the next.  To smooth the transition, you may want to either work part-time at your present job for a few months or get a part-time job at another company when you leave.

Practice living on a retirement budget before you actually retire.  And start saving for retirement as far ahead of time as possible.  

Take care of yourself while you're young.  You can help to preserve your health by eating a low-fat diet, not smoking, drinking moderately (if at all), learning to manage stress, getting regular checkups, and being physically active.

Cultivate hobbies and other outside interests.  Keep yourself busy with fitness activities, community work, or academic studies.  To prevent boredom, consider a variety of activities – indoor and outdoor, mental and physical, group and individually oriented.  Think about projects you’d like to work on well before retirement, so you don’t stall out when the time comes.


Used with permission from A Year of Health Hints by Don R Powell, PHD and the American Institute for Preventive Medicine, copyright 2010. www.healthylife.com




No comments:

Post a Comment