Things to do in retirement

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You need to keep your mind and body active after you retire. Here are some ways to do that.

Retirement is your opportunity to fill your days with what makes you happy. But it can be hard to re-imagine life after work. This is especially true if you’ve spent your whole career achieving goals that make you proud.

But it's possible to find your passion in retirement life. In fact, it's important for your health that you do.

Are you retired and feeling unsatisfied in this new life stage? Or thinking of retiring and need a retirement plan?

This article will take a look at some examples of ways to keep your mind and body engaged after leaving work.

Video: The benefits of volunteering at Perth Zoo

Hear from Docents at Perth Zoo about the benefits of volunteering.

This video explores how volunteering at the zoo is a great way to keep mentally, socially, and physically active after you retire.

A volunteer or part-time job like this is one of many ways to stay active and engaged after retirement. How you choose to do so is up to you and your preference. It's just important that you do it.

But why is it so necessary to stay active and keep challenging yourself?

What you need to feel fulfilled

For a happy retirement, you need to feel purpose and safety. Having a purpose gives you challenges to keep growing. Feeling safe lets you rest and enjoy your new achievements. Together, these lead to fulfilment.

Your sense of safety

Your sense of safety and security can be helped by some financial preparation before retirement.

Future-proofing your home and using helpful products such as personal safety alarms can also put your mind at ease.

You can also protect your physical safety by staying fit and well with healthy lifestyle habits such as good diet and exercise. This can protect you from illness and injury as you get older.

Your sense of purpose

What about your sense of purpose after you retire? It helps to replace the routines and challenges imposed by work with other things that fulfill you.

To age well, it's important to keep challenging your mind. One way to do this is with hobbies and personal goals.

You may find your sense of purpose in sports, arts, crafts, or interpersonal relationships. Everyone is different, so don't be afraid to explore to find what's right for you.

Video: How Mami and Jilska find fulfilment

Hear from Mami and Jilska about how they maintain their sense of purpose after retiring.

If you're like Jilska, you may want to fill your retirement days with all the fun things you never had time to do before.

Or, like Mami, you may want to find new work after you retire. This time on your own terms, of course. A casual or part-time job that you enjoy, whether paid or unpaid, can be an easy way to maintain your sense of purpose after leaving your career.

What to do in retirement

Looking for things to do in retirement?

Here are some ideas for ways to spend your well-earned free time.

Develop your relationships

Socialisation and routine are both important to your mental health. You may be used to leaving for work at the same time each morning and seeing your colleagues most days every week. Now you can make your own social routine.

Connect with friends

Reaching out and staying in touch with good friends is important for your mental health and overall wellbeing. Consider getting your friends together for regular events like book clubs, walks, or brunches.

And making new friends is good for your brain health! You can always join existing clubs to meet new people.

Connect with family

Offering to babysit your grandchildren can bring you closer to your kids and grandkids both. Spending time with the grandkids is also likely to keep you moving around.

Consider adopting a pet

Another thing that could keep you moving around and emotionally fulfilled is a pet.

Retirement may be a good time to adopt an older dog who needs a home. (This will be easier than caring for a highly energetic puppy!)

If your home isn't suited for a pet, you could consider other options that allow you to spend time with animals. For example, you could be a dog walker for a neighbour or two. This might not only help your neighbours out but also give you the health benefits of more regular exercise.

Give back to your community

It's important for your mental and physical health to remain connected to your community after you leave work. Many people find that helping others is a very rewarding way to stay connected.

Volunteering

You may find fulfilment by volunteering for organisations you believe in. It can also be a fun way to meet like-minded individuals and make new friends.

You can look for volunteering opportunities at local:

Animal shelters
Museums
Food banks
Libraries

You can also search the LiveUp activities database.

Mentoring

Retirement could also be the perfect time to pass down your knowledge. You could become a mentor or teacher.

You can secure the legacy of your years of experience by sharing with the younger generation.

Work on your hobbies

You can also fill your post-retirement routine with your favourite hobbies.

Creative hobbies

Artistic activities are not only fun, but also good for your brain.

You can build emotional and cognitive skills just by painting, crafting, reading or writing creatively.

Baking or cooking could also be a creative and practical hobby that helps you nourish yourself and your loved ones.

Active hobbies

Gardening is a great way to get sunlight and stay active. Growing plants can also be a therapeutic pastime.

Walking can help you keep moving while enjoying nature and connecting with your neighbourhood.

Now is also the time to finally make those home improvements you were too busy to do before. This will increase the amount of incidental exercise you do. (That's exercise you do as a byproduct of other chores or tasks.)

Study and train new skills

It's important to learn new skills as you age. You can take a class in anything that interests you.

Train your brain

You might like to take this time to learn a second language or a new instrument. This can even help you improve your memory.

You can also join a sports club or dance class and learn some new moves. This will benefit your brain health as well as your fitness skills.

Train your body

It's healthy to set intellectual goals for yourself, but physical goals are important, too.

For example, training to walk a marathon. Or learning Tai Chi to stay fit so you can keep taking your dog for walks.

It's never too late to begin your fitness journey. You can find more exercise tips for older people at LiveUp.

Enjoy yourself!

Have you considered travelling? Perhaps you'd enjoy a cruise, or taking a campervan around the country.

You can be part of clubs or societies that get together regularly to do things you enjoy. Want to be part of a games club? You can find or start up a group who get together regularly to play games like chess, cards or boardgames.

Or you might like to participate in community events, such as:

Seasonal markets and festivals
Live music shows
Quiz nights at your local bars or community centres

Spend your retirement doing what you makes you happy, and be sure to allow yourself some quality leisure time.

Video: How Sue and Pete enjoy retirement

An older man and woman smiling at the beach.

Hear from Sue and Pete about their daily activities, hobbies, and shared passion for staying active.

Here are some of the ways Sue and Pete stay happy and healthy:

Keeping their bodies active at the gym, with golf, and on walks
Staying connected with loved ones and babysitting their granddaughter on Fridays
Sue's volunteer work as a literacy tutor keeps her mind active
Pete's volunteer garden group keeps him physically and socially active

It's your time

Hopefully these examples have helped you think of ways to get the most out of your retirement.

Whatever you choose to do next, let it be for you, because this is your time.

Need more information about healthy ageing? LiveUp is here to help by proving free information tailored to your needs.

Call us on 1800 951 971
Try the LiveUp quiz
Search the LiveUp activities database for more things to do in retirement

References

Australian Taxation Office. (2024, Oct). Planning to retire. https://www.ato.gov.au/individuals-and-families/jobs-and-employment-types/working-as-an-employee/leaving-the-workforce/planning-to-retire

Wang, L., Guo, F., Zhao, C., Zhao, M., Zhao, C., Guo, J., Zhang, L., Zhang, L., Li, Z., & Zhu, W. (2023). The effect of aerobic dancing on physical fitness and cognitive function in older adults during the COVID-19 pandemic-a natural experiment. Sports Medicine and Health Science, 5(3), 196-204. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666337623000434?via%3Dihub

How to use this information

LiveUp provides free information to help you make informed decisions about your health. This information is for general and educational purposes only, is not intended to provide a comprehensive guide, and does not replace medical advice. Everyone is different, so some of these tips may work better for you than others. You should use your own judgment and seek medical advice when applying this information to yourself, to determine if it is suitable in your circumstances. Your use of, or reliance on, this information is solely at your own risk. Independent Living Assessment Incorporated is not responsible or liable for any injury, loss, or damage caused as a result of your use of, or reliance on, this information.

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