Fun things to try in your retirement

Retirement is an exciting time of your life, perhaps it’s the first time you have freedom and free time to pursue travel or other interests and hobbies you’ve always wanted to. It’s the time where you can slow down, smell the roses, and just enjoy life. However, the loss of a stable work routine and its associated sense of purpose may be hard to adjust to, so we’ve compiled a list of meaningful activities to replace work and offer a new sense of purpose in your life.

You may not be ready to dive straight into unemployment yet, so why not establish your second career through part-time jobs and volunteering:

• Volunteer at your nearest animal shelter or library
• Become a mentor for start-up entrepreneurs
• Become a visiting professor
• Open a small coffee shop or a home-business that sells handmade crafts
• Become an activist for a cause that you care about
• Tutor students (or your grandchildren)
• Sell your crafts online through a website such as etsy.

If you just want to relax and enjoy socialising, here are some great ways to do it:

• Spend more quality time with family and friends
• Meet up with ex-colleagues or friends for a regular picnic lunch
• Throw more parties
• Write letters (or send emails)
• Join a book club
• Volunteer to do social activities with friends
• Join a club, perhaps ballroom dancing or swimming.

Tap into your creative mind and use your creative passions by doing some of these:

• Paint, sketch or draw
• Learn ceramics and make cups, bowls or vases as gifts
• Learn to sculpt
• Learn photography, perhaps on your antique camera
• Take a photo a day and compile into an album of your life
• Edit photography digitally on Photoshop
• Publish artwork online on DeviantArt and sell on Etsy
• Learn a musical instrument
• Join a band or music club
• Write your own songs for family and friends
• Study interior design
• Knit, crochet and learn needlepoint
• Make a quilt
• Write a memoir or novel
• Cultivate bonsai trees
• Create and improve your garden
• Try new recipes for your next party
• Start a YouTube channel and make videos
• Learn woodworking or carpentry

We all know we need exercise as it regulates our emotions, ensures our bodies are healthy and leads to feelings of wellbeing. So why not try out different physical activities and spice up your daily routine with the following:

• Fishing
• White water rafting
• Hiking
• Fun runs
• Learn martial arts
• Coach your favourite sport
• Swim at beaches around your area
• Canoeing
• Kayaking
• Stand-up paddle boarding
• Bungee-jumping
• Roller skating
• Kitesurfing
• Scuba diving
• Free diving
• Yoga and pilates

There is a whole world of new things you can try, enjoy and have fun with during retirement. Make the years you have for yourself count and stay happy and healthy.

What have you done in your retirement? Have you tried anything new?