Living productively after retirement

Living productively after retirement

By DR LOH WAH YUN

SO you are 55. And there you have it – the passport to the Golden Years. Eventually we will all move into this new phase after years of sweating and toiling to finance the car and house, and yes, unfortunately, our children’s’ new electronic gadgets and the ever-changing hand phones. It should be a moment of great celebration. For once, we are stripped off our work obligations and we have everything to live for.

And yet, when we come to the transition from one social position to another, each individual may react differently to the new scenario. While some may look forward to retirement, feeling satisfied that they have contributed to life, another may indulge in depression and loneliness and have less positive views on retirement.

Some experience the loss of value and the increase in boredom that invite anxiety and stress. If this is not managed properly, it may harm an individual’s mental and physical health.

The first step to a more fulfilled retirement is lining up activities to your benefit.

But everything comes down to one decision. How do you make this transition more meaningful and that the change makes you a happier and a more active person?

A lot of free time does not necessarily lead to contentment. Happy retirees report that they have been more active than passive, set themselves personal goals and kept a positive outlook on life. Some take up daily walks in the park with their partners and sometimes with the children and join adventure clubs to make their new life more exciting. All this helps to bond relationships and makes a person feel better about him or herself.

On the other hand, unhappy retirees deny having stress and try to reduce activity levels. They have no strategy for managing stress and are unwilling to face challenges. These do not only make the person feel miserable, but indirectly creates a barrier from people who are trying to help the person adjust to the new environment.

If we manage and plan in time, retirement can be bliss. Remember the forgotten dreams of wanting to paint or to learn how to cha-cha that you had to let go because you had to work?

How about the world trip and the dreams of taking great photos but you just could not find time to do so because you were caught up with your work? Now this is the best time to realise all those forgotten dreams!

After retirement, enrolling yourself to a dance class not only helps you by increasing your activity level but also opens more doors for communication with other people.

The first step to a more fulfilled retirement is lining up activities to your benefit. For instance, pick up dancing. Enrolling yourself to a dance class not only helps by increasing your activity level but also opens more doors for communication with other people.

Classes like dancing and drawing ease stress because it will help turn you away from the anxiety and stress of having more time to spend.

Besides that, it helps build a stronger, healthier body and gives your mind space to explore the artistic side of you. Group activities also make a person feel belonged because of the interaction and the communication shared.

If you have always loved to write, what about putting your whole life experience into a book? Everywhere you have been to, places you have visited and people you have met are all your writing sources.

You have endured the rough times and sailed through the good days, you have had the chance of being the husband, the wife, the father or your grandchild’s grandmother ? all these experiences are memories you can keep not only for yourself, but also for your family.

Why not maximise your time by penning your heart for your younger ones to see?

Writing down your life's experiences can be a worthy objective after you retire.

You can also consider channelling your experience and talent to become a tutor or a volunteer in schools or to senior groups. Weekly gatherings of cooking with your friends (you were once a good cook) or helping out at the construction of the new mosque or temple in your neighbourhood (you were a top-notch architect) can help optimise your time besides lending yourself to opportunities to help people.

There are many ways to make life after retirement more meaningful. If you give yourself some time to understand your needs, to understand what you can do to make yourself feel more relaxed and productive, you can help ease the mental stress you put upon yourself.

Retirement should not be viewed as a phase that limits all your former activities, but it should be the window to new adventures and forgotten dreams.

It is time for you to pick up your dancing shoes!

This article is contributed by The Star Health & Ageing Panel, which comprises a group of panellists who are not just opinion leaders in their respective fields of medical expertise, but have wide experience in medical health education for the public.

The members of the panel include: Datuk Prof Dr Tan Hui Meng, consultant urologist; Dr Yap Piang Kian, consultant endocrinologist; Datuk Dr Azhari Rosman, consultant cardiologist; A/Prof Dr Philip Poi, consultant geriatrician; Dr Hew Fen Lee, consultant endocrinologist; Prof Dr Low Wah Yun, psychologist; Datuk Dr Nor Ashikin Mokhtar, consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist; Dr Lee Moon Keen, consultant neurologist; Dr Ting Hoon Chin, consultant dermatologist; Assoc Prof Khoo Ee Ming, primary care physician. For more information, e-mail starhealth@thestar.com.my

The Star Health & Ageing Advisory Panel provides this information for educational and communication purposes only and it should not be construed as personal medical advice. Information published in this article is not intended to replace, supplant or augment a consultation with a health professional regarding the reader’s own medical care.

The Star Health & Ageing Advisory Panel disclaims any and all liability for injury or other damages that could result from use of the information obtained from this article.


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