Retirement time – On which How will you enjoy your retirement?
Are you looking forward to it or are you dreading it?
Many people make the biggest plans for when – after decades of hard work – they no longer have to work: finally make that big trip, pick up their old hobby again, babysit weekly and do fun things with the (grand) children and maybe finally buy that beautiful house on the Spanish coast. Yet there are also many future retirees who do not like to stop working at all. They can hardly imagine a life without work. This group wants to keep doing something, something that keeps them socially relevant. They want to stay in work or pursue a new career or goal in life.
Every (future) retiree is different. One only wants to enjoy, the other wants to get to work and remain socially involved (which you can also consider as enjoying). But how can you fill in the (much) time that comes after your retirement? That is not an easy task for everyone. In this article we give some tips and examples.
Staying Busy After Retirement
To stay healthy and vital, it is essential to keep busy after you retire. You have worked hard all your life and lived according to a certain structure. Do not try to change this rigorously, but ensure a gradual reduction. It is also important for the brain to continue to take on challenges and to gain new knowledge and experiences. This prevents the aging of the brain. Of course it’s important to enjoy your retirement, but that doesn’t mean you don’t have to do anything at all. Maintain a structure and regularity and do not shy away from challenges.
Keep your brain active
After your retirement you will have plenty of time to take on new challenges. Keep your brain working by ‘thinking again’, so that your information processing and problem-solving capacity remains active and expanded. But also take enough time for relaxation. We give 3 examples of things you can do after you retire to keep busy and prevent the aging of the brain. Learning with effort, that’s what it’s all about.
- Course or study
Keep your brain active by gaining new knowledge. There are plenty of opportunities to learn something new. For example, start a language, photography or computer course or sign up for a (part-time) study on a subject that interests you. Some courses, workshops and training are even specifically aimed at retirees. Learning something new often does not happen automatically, you have to put in the effort. But as long as something takes effort, it will benefit your brain.
- Volunteer work
Do you want to keep busy and mean something to others at the same time? Then volunteering can help. There are many different types of volunteer work; a board position at a nearby association, working as a host or hostess in a nursing home, hospital or museum, guiding children and the disabled, providing tutoring, as a driver of wheelchair or student transport, etc., etc. If you don’t want to be tied down to anything, there are many other options. For example, consider maintaining the neighborhood garden or (small) chores for families in the neighborhood.
- Keep moving
Exercise and sports are essential for a healthy brain. The fact that you don’t have time for this right now is no excuse. Do you opt for a daily workout, a subscription to a gym, or maybe going on a long walking holiday? Sports and exercise are not only healthy, they also teach your brain to remember things better and your planning skills and coordination are expanded. Win-win-win!
To keep working
Not everyone wants to retire. Some prefer to keep working. That is of course also an option. Research shows that more and more people over 65 continue to work while they are actually allowed to retire. This number has even tripled in recent years. Many of these ‘retired workers who continue to work’ perform similar tasks and functions as they did before. However, in most cases they do this with a smaller working time factor in part-time and they are no longer present at meetings and consultations. They are mainly concerned with the core task of the work.
Some also choose to remain available as an on-call worker or stand-in worker for the old employer. This trend is especially visible in education. Due to the shortage of teachers, retired teachers return to school for a day or a short period to provide education. These retirees are also gladly used for surveillance tasks. The reasons retirees give for continuing to work are twofold; on the one hand, they stay busy in this way and can still mean something socially relevant. On the other hand, it is a nice addition to their AOW and pension.
Are you interested in continuing to work for your employer after your retirement – in a certain form? Contact HRM or the personnel officer within your organization or company and discuss the options.
Enjoy your retirement
The possibilities for enjoying your retirement are endless and different for everyone. One will finally be able to spend time making his big dream come true, while another would like to continue working as a volunteer or continue working part-time with his old employer. Whatever you choose… the most important thing is that you continue to enjoy yourself. You really don’t have to pick up something immediately 1 day after your retirement, take your time, make a plan and go for it!
Training and advice to prepare for your retirement
With the Essenburgh Pension training in sight, we will discuss various aspects of retirement, together with you. Important themes such as finances, staying busy, health and saying goodbye are discussed. The perfect preparation for your well-deserved retirement.
Knowing more? View the different Pension in Sight training courses. Or download the (free) checklist on the right and find out immediately how well you are already prepared for your retirement.
Do you have any questions?
Please contact us.
