I don’t know about you, but what is it with the term ‘retirement hobby’ or ‘retirement activities’ that makes me squirm.
Something about it just makes me picture those overly happy retirement catalog images with couples holding hands whilst smiling into the sunset, playing golf together and cuddling up on a cruise ship.
That’s a lovely image, for sure. But in the reality of things, when retirement comes we are not going to spend every day holding hands looking at sunsets. We will however, require a way to fill our days with purposeful and enjoyable retirement activities.
So, for lack of a better word, I want to talk about retirement hobbies. Through our working lives, not all of us have too many interests outside of our careers, so finding an activity we enjoy might be a foreign concept.
I thought I’d take the time today to go through some ideas that might be of interest to you, and how they could potentially bring purpose, joy and passion to your retirement days.
Photography
Photography is an amazing creative outlet and a great way to immerse yourself in something outside of your regular routine. Whether it be nature, sports, travel, people or a mix of everything, it gives you a purpose to go out and explore. No matter what kind of equipment or camera you have, you have the potential to become a great photographer. Even a camera on your smartphone is enough! There are also a heap of online groups and communities for photographers, giving you the opportunity to connect with other like minded individuals you probably wouldn’t normally associate with.
Learn A Musical Instrument
Committing to learning a musical instrument is a time consuming and demanding process, so it’s not surprising that most people don’t have time to accomplish this during their working lives. Music is proven to be therapeutic and relieve stress, it’s also an incredible way to keep your brain active as it increases your cognitive ability. Playing music is a way to stimulate the brain in a way that helps with memory retention and also helps you to learn new things. It will also make you feel extremely proud of yourself for sticking with it and mastering a musical instrument!
Volunteering
Volunteering has been shown to give you a sense of accomplishment and to increase feelings of happiness. There are volunteering opportunities in so many different areas. Consider what’s important to you and where you would like to make a difference, and look into local volunteering options. It is an incredibly fulfilling, rewarding and challenging way to spend your days in retirement. It’s also an eye opening experience that connects you with a variety of people you most likely wouldn’t encounter in your day to day life.
Sports
As you age, it becomes even more important to exercise and look after your body, to maintain muscle and bone strength and prevent your body becoming frail. So, what better time than to start a new sport than in retirement!? As well as the undeniable health benefits, getting involved in sports will also keep your social life active, can provide a healthy competitive atmosphere and gives you a purposeful activity to fill your days with.
Travel
Another one that might have been set aside due to living a busy life, is travel. Have you always dreamed of sipping a coffee whilst looking at the Eiffel Tower? Fancied island hopping around the Caribbean? Or dreamt of visiting some of the earth’s most sacred, mysterious and wonderful spaces. There really is no time like retirement. For the first time maybe ever, you don’t have to be anywhere on Monday morning – so why not choose to spend it hiking the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu?
These are just some of the amazing opportunities for retirement activities that can be waiting for you in your post-career life. If you’re wondering how to work out what’s important to you and what will bring you purpose in the next chapter of your life, I have a free guide where you can learn how to replace the benefits we get from work to be happy in retirement. Download it here.