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Adjusting to Life in the Slow Lane of Retirement

Retirement is a goal that every adult looks forward to after a lifetime of working to support a family. Before the advent of better nutrition and medications, most adults could only hope to live to about the age of 50, thus not even looking to retirement. Today though, millions of people are living longer, healthier lives and as a result have the opportunity to retire.

Retirement is sometimes viewed as a time to take it easy or discover new horizons through travel. Regardless of how you view retirement, be prepared for a roller coaster of emotions. Retirement is how all about how you deal with the free time you now have on your hands. Some people have to have a purpose in life, a goal to work toward and naively look forward to a retirement of doing nothing but relaxing. Guess what? That won't last long for someone who is accustomed to "doing."

Therefore, there are a variety of things that you can do and plan for as you head to retirement that will keep you happy and healthy. It is all up to you as to how you do it. Here are a few suggestions to get you started:

1. Keeping active is crucial to living a longer life. If you are not quite ready to grab a fishing pole, consider taking on a part-time job in the field that you know? A part-time job will keep you feeling useful while still allowing plenty of time to indulge in a hobby or some other pursuit.

Retirement is the perfect time to indulge in a hobby that you never really had time with before. Did you enjoy knitting before the kids came along? Or do you wish that you had more time to go fishing? Now you can! And if you did not really have a hobby before, now is your chance to explore a few ideas since you have the time to do so.

Part of keeping active is exercise. When you keep physically fit in retirement, you can expect fewer illnesses and better health. Some of those physical hobbies you were looking for could come into play like golf or taking up yoga. Physical activities around the home are also beneficial like gardening and raking leaves. Lace up your sneakers and go walking or head to the gym.

2. Socializing also keeps you active. Now that you no longer have the workplace as your social outlet, it's time to find ways to keep in touch with people that you know or to meet new people. It takes conscious effort not to sit at home and stare at the TV and wonder what happened to everyone. Take a class or join a reader's group. Sign up for a walking club or seek out some active senior centers in the area and partake of some of their activities. Friends are sure to follow.

3. Volunteer your time and feel useful again. Many nonprofits such as churches, hospitals, children centers and more need volunteers to help keep their activities going. When you donate your time to a worthy cause, it makes you feel even more worthy in return. Being appreciated is a wonderful feeling.

If you are unsure of how or where to volunteer, there are several places on the internet like Volunteer Match or government programs like Volunteers in Parks are great avenues to pursue in order to find out what type of volunteer opportunities are out there. You can also approach your local schools or libraries as they always need reliable volunteers to read to children.

It is literally all up to you as to how you spend your retirement. You could feel sorry for yourself and hole up in your home, or you can take life by the horns and get our there and find something. If you do find yourself becoming blue about being retired and just can't summon the will to do something about it, get to a doctor. Depression could be a problem and that is treatable.