Living Your Best Life with Assisted Living

Retirement is something most people dream of pretty much as soon as they enter the world of work. It’s the reward for years of hard work and is a time where you finally get to spend your time exactly how you want to. It’s a great opportunity to experience new things, travel, and really learn more about yourself.

Living Your Best Life

While most people are pretty excited about retirement at first, many newly retired seniors find themselves a bit lost after a while. It’s a big change from eight hour work days to a more leisurely pace, and for many is can be tough to adjust to life outside the 9 to 5 work world. Thankfully, there are ways you can shift your focus and adjust your days to make retirement a time where you are truly living your best life!

Establish a routine

When people first retire, they often want to take some time to live like they’re on vacation. It’s important to give yourself a break after years of hard work, so live it up! However, after a while, it’s easy to fall into a rut where you feel like your days are always the same.

To prevent boredom from setting in, it’s a good idea to establish a routine. This will make the transition from work to retirement much easier, since work days are really all about a routine. Aim to get up and start your day at the same time each morning and follow an informal schedule. For example, you might wake up, enjoy your coffee and eat breakfast, then head out for a morning walk. Just be sure to fill your days with things you like to do – practice hobbies, find time for physical activities, and give yourself time to relax too.

Keep your social connections strong

Socializing is a big part of work life. When you don’t have to go into to work every day, you might find that you miss that level of social interaction. If you’ve gotten used to spending time with a whole office full of people each day, it can be quite strange to suddenly have so much time on your own.

After retirement, it’s important to stay connected to friends and family. It’s easy to do – incorporate some social time into your routine, so you get to interact with others regularly. You could schedule a regular coffee date with friends, make time for visits or phone calls with family members, or find ways to get involved in the community through volunteer work. Focus on connection with friends and family, and also look for ways to meet new friends.

Keep learning new things

One way to keep things interesting when you’re retired is to challenge yourself and learn something new. Learning new things is a great way to keep your brain happy and boost your mood overall, which is why continued learning is so important for seniors. If you aren’t sure where to start, ask yourself this question: Is there something you’ve always wanted to learn how to do, but have never had the time? Now is the perfect time to do it!

Look for classes to take or local groups where you can learn a new hobby in a hands-on environment. It’s also important to note that you don’t only have to focus on a new skill. You can dedicate time to read about topics you’ve always been curious about, or even learn a new language through classes, or through apps designed to make the learning experience more interactive.

Get some exercise in

Part of living your best life includes keeping your body happy. Physical activity is super important for seniors, as it can prevent disease, become part of the treatment of conditions such as diabetes, and can decrease the chance of depression. It can also prevent or slow the progress of cognitive issues.

The key to staying active is to find an activity you enjoy, since you’re much more likely to stick to an activity that is actually fun for you. You could take an exercise class specifically designed for seniors, get out for a daily walk, head to the pool, or make time for a round of golf. Whatever activity you choose, make it part of your regular routine. All you have to do is try to move your body a little bit every day!

At Bria Communities, our goal is to make sure all of our residents always live their best lives! We have plenty of ways for everyone to develop new skills, meet new friends, learn new skills, and stay active. Through fun social events and resident-lead activity groups, there’s always something fun and exciting to do. We encourage everyone to fill their days with activities they enjoy and structure their days however they want to, so they feel balanced and happy.