How to Take Care of Yourself After Retirement

Are You Taking Care of You?

After retirement, are you taking care of you? I bet you haven’t asked yourself that question in a long time. Chances are you are so used to taking care of everyone else that you forget about yourself. At work you had your team members, peers, partners, managers, clients, suppliers looking to you for something. At home you have family members to care for, and likely still do. But what about you? So after retirement, with extra time on your hands, this is the perfect opportunity to take a step back and think about how to take care of you.

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Making your own physical and emotional health a top priority is not selfish, but rather the best gift you can give to those you love. And that includes you. Taking care of you means you are:

Staying current on medical appointments,
Finding time for exercise,
Eating healthy,
Interacting with people socially,
Stretching your mind and
Feeling purposeful

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Staying Current with Medical Appointments

I put this one first because some of the other points below should be reviewed with your doctor before you continue.

With everything going on in the world right now, it is easy to avoid the doctor’s office or just put off any appointment. But don’t do that! Even if you have to make it a virtual appointment.

Make sure you are up to date on your annual physical or any other appointment that you normally have or need.
Bring along any plans for increasing physical activity or diet changes. You’ll want to review those with your doctor before getting started.
Put together an organized file of your medical records, prescriptions, tests and results. You never know when you will need these. And when you do, you will be so happy you have them.
Consider keeping a 2-3 week log of everything you eat, your activities and how you feel before your next physical. That could come along handy especially if you plan to have a discussion about diet or exercise.
If you are feeling well, it is tempting to try to get the physical over quickly and just get out of there. But take this time to ask about preventative measures for conditions like osteoporosis. What vaccines are appropriate for your age group? This is your chance. Go in there prepared.
After your physical, be sure to follow up with any suggested tests or specialist. Do that right away. Putting it off could mean you never get to it.

Finding Time for Exercise

This is one of my favorite topics. So often I hear comments like, “Now that I’m retired, I am going to get into shape.”

I ask people all the time about their exercise habits and how they stick to them. Time and time again, the common thread to a successful fitness program is consistency. And consistency comes from habit. And habit comes from a set schedule.

Which do you think works better:

(a) Getting up in the morning and saying to yourself, “I’m going to start getting into shape today.”

(b) Getting up and saying, “Today is Monday and I know that I have a two mile walk planned for Monday mornings, so let’s go.”

I don’t know about you, but for me (b) works so much better. Saying “I’m going to get into shape” is such a tall goal and so broad and unspecific. But saying “Today I’m going to walk 2 miles first thing in the morning” is specific, it’s achievable, and it is satisfying.

If you’ve read other posts on this blog, you already know that I am big fan of using a Block Schedule. A Block Schedule can help you so much toward setting your goals and making sure you stick to them.

(See related post on how to ‘Schedule Your Time in Retirement‘ or go straight to the directions for a ‘Block Schedule‘.)

So take out that Block Schedule and decide where in your normal week does exercise fit in. Then put it in there and commit to making this your regular routine.

Eating Healthy

Healthy eating is similar to exercise. It works better if you plan for it. People tend to eat bad things when they hungrily go grazing through the kitchen. So plan out your meals and your snacks. You know you’re going to eat snacks. So instead of saying you’re not, plan for them. Make sure you have something healthy to reach for before that bag of chips.

Healthy eating is a personal thing and something that must be reviewed with your doctor. So I am not going to say to ‘eat this’ and ‘don’t eat that.’ That’s up to you and your doctor to decide. But your routines and forward thinking will factor heavily in your ability to stick to any healthy eating plan.

Interacting with People Socially

I think the hardest thing for me when I retired was that loss of human contact. I was so used to seeing people all day – to the point it was almost too much at times. So I didn’t expect to miss that. I thought I might enjoy the break. And I did for a little while. Then I got a bit lonely.

On top of adjusting to this new life, the health restrictions right now make interacting with people quite challenging.

But it is so very important to talk to people every day. And unlike when you were in the middle of a work environment, now you actually have to work at it. Here are some ideas:

Plan For It

Set aside time in your Block Schedule every week when you look through your contacts. Find at least 3 people you can reach out to. They may be people you haven’t heard from in a while. Or maybe you have a frequent contact, and you just want to keep up the dialogue.

Just Do It

Now that you know who you want to contact, just do it. Either send an email or text right at that moment. Or set aside time in your Block Scheduled week to call or connect in some direct way.

Squash Your Fears

Don’t be afraid you’re bothering someone if you call. And do not get hung up on whose turn it is to reach out next. This is not a time for pride or worry about protocol. If someone comes to your mind, reach out. Don’t worry that you were the last one to do so, and isn’t it their turn. You never know what anyone is going through. And your reaching out might be just the thing that person needs right now. So just do it.

Organization Helps

Keep your contacts list organized, up to date and easy to access.

Find Special Reasons

Record birthdays. That always makes for an extra special reason to reach out.

Be Intentional

Set up a regular routine of meeting with friends. That might mean back yards, outdoor settings or zoom calls for now, but that’s ok. And at the end of an evening or zoom session, pick a date for the next one. Or set up regular routines (e.g. the first Wednesday of every month). Whatever the method, do something intentional and specific to keep up the interaction.

Expand Your Circle

Make use of your local Facebook pages and other social platforms to see who else out there might be in the same place. Maybe there’s someone in your neighborhood who would like to join a morning walking group. Or maybe someone wants a tennis partner or golfing buddy. We often retire at different times than the friend group we built over the years. So while you have this new-found time on your hands, you group of friends might still be working all day. Local social platforms help you expand your circle.

Talk to People All Through Your Day

Maybe you stop at the same place for coffee each morning or see the same cashier at the store. One day just ask them their name. Then the next time you go in, say ‘Hi Joe!’ or whoever. Chances are you are actually bringing joy to that person. He/she is likely to return the favor by greeting you by name too. That personal interaction can make all the difference in the way you start your day.

Stretch Your Mind

Besides reading, puzzles, and mind games, one super way to stretch your mind is through learning new things.

In Person

When the world eventually returns to something resembling normal, check out your local community college. The ones in New York allow people over 65 to audit classes for free. So that means you can take all aspects of the class. You just don’t earn a grade towards a degree. But that’s ok. So check and see what your local colleges offer.

Online

This was always a terrific option, but now given the state of the world, online material is expanding continually. My favorite choices are:

Look out for an upcoming post where I go into more details on each of these.

Did You Ever Think of Becoming an Instructor Yourself?

I have taken courses on all four of these platforms. And I occasionally get an email encouraging users/subscribers to consider creating their own courses. I never would have thought of that, but now it’s on my bucket list.

I bet you have a skill, a talent, a storehouse of knowledge, or a whole set of experiences that would benefit others. Consider creating your own set of courses – for fun, for pay, or for both!

Notes regarding stretching your mind:

Limit TV watching. No one warned me when I retired to be ready for a very quiet house. That seems like a small thing, but it’s not. It can be tough to get used to. And tempting to put the TV on for company or background noise. Don’t fall for it. Resist even starting this bad habit.
Amazon Echo with Alexa (#ad) is a great alternatives to TV if you really need background noise. Ask her to play happy music, or music to help you focus.
Have your materials all ready to go. If you are doing online training, have your wish list or watch list ready. This way you are ready to make the most of the time you set aside. Same holds true for books or craft materials, or anything else you plan to use in your learning process. Avoid wandering around the house thinking “What should I read now?” Or, “Which course was I going to do?” Before you know it, you will have wasted half an afternoon.
Plan your ‘study’ time – Use your Block Schedule to set aside deliberate time each week for reading, puzzles, training, or anything else you set up for yourself to stretch your mind.

Feeling Purposeful

Everyone, regardless of age or situation, needs a purpose in life. Don’t confuse work goals and objectives with your own personal purpose. Your purpose did not stop when your work goals disappeared.

Take a look at this blog post (Discover Your Retirement ‘Why’) and determine what your purpose in retirement is. Your ‘why’ is personal to you. And while it may have felt tied to work, it really is not. It is tied to you. You need to take your ‘why’ and align your retirement life with it. That will also allow you to find the right balance between relaxation and activity.

So Remind Yourself Every Day....

“You cannot serve from an empty vessel.” Eleanor Brown ….so very true

So, you take care of you! It’s not only ok, it is a necessity!