Experts Reveal The 6 Behaviors Linked To A Long, Happy Retirement
A long, joyful retirement is yours to have.
Oneinchpunch | Canva Having a long, happy retirement is essential for overall well-being. It can lead to better physical health, stronger social connections, increased life satisfaction, and a greater sense of purpose, even impacting longevity. Factors like maintaining social engagement, pursuing hobbies, and having adequate financial security contribute significantly to retirement happiness.
Retirement and happiness, oh my! Planning for an uncertain future in an unstable economy is enough to cause a person to shut down. However, planning for your emotional well-being in retirement is possible.
Here are the six behaviors linked to a long, happy retirement:
1. Create quality relationships
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The most important thing you can do in retirement is to sustain and create quality relationships. Loneliness is the strongest predictor of early death.
Maintaining close relationships can prevent this. Research shows that married couples tend to live longer than unmarried ones. Even without marriage, connection with others in intimate ways can prolong life and happiness as well.
Of course, other things help as well such as daily exercise, good nutrition, adequate sleep, and meditation. An attitude of positivity and letting go of negativity is also critical. Life is too short.
— Phyllis Koch-Sheras, Clinical Psychologist and Co-founder of Couples Coaching Couples
2. Be useful
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Happiness in retirement often hinges on a simple principle: Be useful. This means finding ways to contribute to the world around you, whether it’s acts of kindness, sharing your talents, or lending a helping hand.
Be useful to people you care about in your life or your community. Consider caring for your grandchildren, volunteering for your condo board, or planting a garden at a local senior’s residence.
By doing things to create satisfaction and meaning or supporting the needs of those you care about, you’ll ensure a greater sense of fulfillment in your post-employment years.
— Lisa Petsinis, Career & Life Coach
3. Find fulfillment
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Our life is meant to feel happy and fulfilled now until our last dying breath. I don’t believe in a retirement where you plan for someday in the future when you have time and space to do what you finally enjoy, which feels fulfilling.
Follow what brings you joy and fulfillment now, in the present. And let go of what does not in your career, relationships, and health so that when your retirement arrives, you already know how to continue to be. If you can’t find this now, you won’t find it in retirement.
— Carolyn Hidalgo, Executive Soul Coach
4. Make plans for the future
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As a therapist, I've observed that people who don't make a few concrete plans for how to live after retiring tend to get depressed. They miss their jobs, and work friends, and even get nostalgic about the parts they didn't like at the time.
Having some plans, whether to finally get around to what you never had time for or visit that place on your bucket list, start planning activities, hobbies, or adventures to keep busy with life.
Stay as active as possible as long as you're alive. Not only will it ward off depression, but it will also keep you healthier in body and mind.
— Dr. Gloria Brame, Therapist and Author
5. Manage your money
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Our retirement income sources include Social Security, savings, IRAs, pensions, and hobbies. For the most part, that’s all you’re going to get. You could go back to work, but getting a decent job is hard when you’ve aged out of your profession. And who wants to work in retirement anyway?
Some experts say you’ll spend 10% to 30% less in retirement. Others say you’ll pay more in your early years and less as you age. I say, “You’ll spend what you can to live comfortably and enjoy yourself.” For some, that’s a lot. Others, not so much.
—Brian Feutz, Author
6. Prioritize your health
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The aches and pains of aging can make it hard to move the way you used to, so be gentle with yourself, both literally and emotionally. Take meandering walks with friends. Try a new low-impact activity, like water aerobics or tai chi. Stretch.
Tending to what your body needs is a key part of practicing true self-care. As certified counselor Clare Waisman explained, "The ultimate goal of self-care is to enable us to live the healthiest and happiest life possible."
"It's about fostering a harmonious relationship with ourselves, both physically and mentally, so that we can navigate life's challenges with resilience, embrace joy, and savor the richness of our experiences," she concluded.
— Clare Waisman, Certified Counselor
Will Curtis is a creator, editor, and activist who has spent the last decade working remotely.