Are you retired and bored and looking for things to do to pass the time, stay sharp, and be happy? Being in retirement comes with the risk of running out of things to do which leads to miserable feelings and anxiety. The good news is that retirement does not have to be boring. There are things to do when bored in retirement to pass the time, lower stress, and feel good about yourself.
In this article, I will walk you through the 14 best things to do when bored in retirement to feel loved and positive about yourself. These activities involve self-care habits, getting involved with others, and mind-training tasks to stay active physically and mentally.
Without further ado, here are the 14 best things to do when retired and bored to improve your health, mood, and happiness.
1. Develop a new hobby
Being bored in retirement is inevitable and everyone faces retirement boredom at some point in their lives. The difference between those who feel miserable about themselves during retirement and those who find happiness is how they cope with retirement boredom. What they do when bored in retirement makes all the difference.
One of the most effective things to do when bored in retirement is to start a new hobby. Not having a full-time job or working at all leaves you with a lot of free time. Having a lot of free time during retirement without something to do, leads to stress, boredom, and uneasiness. That is why you need to find a hobby to fill this gap.
Developing a new hobby allows you to do things you enjoy rather than contemplating miserable feelings about yourself. Have you ever wanted to try painting or learn to play an instrument? If you did, this is your chance to realize this retirement goal. Engaging in a hobby can provide a strong sense of purpose, keep your mind active, and give you a sense of accomplishment.
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2. Engage in cognitive activities
After retirement, you might not get another chance to develop your mind and keep it strong and active. Engaging in cognitive activities is a great strategy to fight retirement boredom and maintain positive feelings about yourself.
You can stimulate your mind with puzzles, quizzes, reading, and writing. Such activities can improve cognitive health and keep boredom at bay in retirement. To keep the fun going when retired and bored, engage in cognitive activities with fellow friends in retirement. The more you focus on solving problems, the less bored you will be during retirement.
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3. Start a fitness routine
Being bored also means your physical and mental capacity will diminish. Lack of physical ability can lead to aging faster and loss of memory. That is why you need a fitness routine to stay active during retirement.
In other words, physical fitness is key to maintaining health during retirement. Whether it’s yoga, aerobics, or just a daily walk, starting a fitness routine can boost your energy, improve your mood, and keep you healthy.
4. Travel to your favorite destinations
Traveling the world is one of the most common retirement goals for most people. If you are in retirement and always want to travel, this might be the time to execute your retirement travel goal and fight boredom.
Start by exploring places you’ve always wanted to see. If you don’t have enough money, visit places close to you. For example, you can travel within your state and expand to neighboring states that require driving instead of flying to save money. Traveling provides a change of scenery, stimulates your mind, and fills your life with new experiences and stories.
5. Volunteer in your local communities
You probably know about this retirement tip already. But, if you have not started yet, get involved in your local community activities. Each state and city has places where retirees can volunteer and connect with others. When retired and bored, search in your area where you can engage in meaningful activities by volunteering at local institutions, churches, and parks.
Volunteering will not only give your life purpose and fulfillment but also, help you connect with people. The more friendships you make with people in similar situations, the less bored you will be during retirement.
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6. Start a home garden
Gardening is one of the most therapeutic things to do in retirement. Gardening allows you to spend time in nature which is a great thing to do when retired and bored, grow your food, and eat healthily. Additionally, gardening can keep you physically active and provide a sense of accomplishment as you watch your plants grow.
7. Learn a new skill
One of the many mistakes retirees make is thinking that being retired means they no longer need to learn anything. This is far from the truth. Learning never ends. Being a retiree gives you more time to learn more things and you can learn only what you need.
If you are retired and bored, take up that cooking class or language course you’ve always wanted to do. This not only keeps you intellectually stimulated, it also provides you with a new skill set. For example, learning to cook can help you eat healthy and live longer. Learning a new language can make your travel experience more fun as you engage with more people of all ages without a translator.
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The lack of things to do in retirement can lead to a miserable experience, retirement anxiety, and dying faster. That is why surrounding yourself with positive influence is a great thing to do when retired and bored.
Socializing with others becomes more important during retirement due to having too much time at your disposal. Retirees who don’t use the extra time to fulfill their emotional needs develop negative feelings, stress, and loneliness.
This is why making new friends and socializing is one of the best things to do when bored in retirement. Join clubs, participate in community activities, or engage in activities organized by senior centers. Some libraries also organize senior events to connect people in the surrounding communities.
9. Babysit your grandkids
Looking after children is a daunting activity. If you love children, however, the happiness you get from babysitting children will be worth the effort. To pass the time when retired and bored, babysit your grandkids. This will boost relationships with your loved ones and fight boredom.
You can also offer to babysit the kids in your neighborhood if you don’t have grandkids. If you’re a pet lover, spending quality time with domesticated animals can greatly improve your mood and reduce feelings of loneliness.
10. Meditate when feeling down
If you are stressed, lonely, and have negative feelings about yourself, meditation might be a great way to boost your happiness and improve your mood. You can also practice mindfulness and relaxation exercises. These can alleviate stress, promote a sense of calmness, and generally uplift your mood.
11. Write a book about your life experiences
One of the best things to do when bored in retirement is to write a book about your life experiences. Your life is like a book that is not written that many people can pay a fortune to access. Instead of feeling miserable and spending useful time watching random TV, write a book about your life experiences.
Writing can be a therapeutic and fulfilling hobby. You can write about your experiences, fantasies, or even a subject you are passionate about. For example, if you like pottery, you can write a small book teaching people new strategies to approach pottery.
12. Learn a new language
Speaking multiple languages is one of the most important skills many retirees should have. This is because most people travel more during retirement and knowing the language of places you travel to improves your travel experience. Speaking the language allows you to communicate directly with locals and get information in its original form instead of its translated version.
The language also improves your safety when traveling as you can pick up the conversations and establish protective measures. You can also save money as many locals increase prices when they know you can speak the language or count their currencies.
This is why learning a language is a great thing to do when bored in retirement. It can be challenging at first to start a new language. However, the rewards of learning a new language exceed the effort especially when you want to travel frequently. Besides keeping your mind active, the language prepares you for future travel adventures.
13. Attend cultural events when retired and bored
An effective thing to do when bored in retirement is to attend cultural events. Many cultures have their month or day that they celebrate different events. There are also multicultural events, exhibits, and performances that regularly happen in many cities and towns that you can attend. How does attending cultural events help in fighting boredom during retirement?
Attending local concerts, theatre performances, or art exhibitions can provide enjoyment and stimulate your intellect. It can also allow you to socialize and meet like-minded individuals. Hence, minimize the time you spend on negative energy which boosts your mood and happiness.
14. Review your retirement goals
Reviewing your retirement goals when bored can help pass the time in several ways. Here are two ways you can benefit from reviewing your retirement goals when bored.
- Productive activity to engage your mind. When retired and bored, spend time evaluating your retirement goals. Assess what you have achieved and the goals you are still working on. This strategy engages your mind and helps you pass the time when bored in retirement as you spend time on your future goals instead of bad feelings and loneliness.
- A chance to strategize. Reviewing your retirement goals when bored in retirement helps you strategize and plan for better outcomes. You may reconsider your investment strategies, save more, or even take up part-time work during retirement. By spending time on retirement goals, you spend more time on important goals and less time mindlessly watching TV.
What are the causes of boredom in retirement?
If you are retired and bored, there are causes of retirement boredom you are probably dealing with. The following are the main reasons people get bored during retirement.
- Deteriorating health. Being a retiree means your mental and physical health also deteriorate. Retirement can be boring if you don’t have the stamina to do all the things you enjoyed doing when you were younger.
- Loss of identity. When you were younger, you probably had a visual image of yourself that determined how you interacted with others, the friends you made, and the goals you set for yourself. After being retired, your thoughts, goals, and surroundings will be different which can contribute to a loss of identity and boredom.
- Lack of a purpose. Most people find happiness by solving complex problems and making a difference during their careers. After retirement, however, it is hard for many people to exercise their brains at the same level and pressure as they did during their careers. As a result, they experience a loss of fulfillment and purpose in life, which adds to their retirement boredom.
Why do some people keep working during retirement?
Most people retire after reaching their financial goals. For example, if you want to save $2.5 million before retirement, you can easily stop working after achieving this retirement goal. Reaching your retirement goals, however, does not mean you will stop working. Matter of fact, many people keep working during retirement even after reaching their retirement savings.
One of the biggest reasons people keep working during retirement is the lack of enough retirement savings. Many people don’t save money during their younger ages leading to a lack of enough retirement savings. By the time they retire, they realize they don’t have enough savings to live off during retirement. So, they keep working.
The fear of running out of things to do and being bored in retirement is another reason many people keep working. For example, it would make sense to stay in your job instead of spending a day watching TV and feeling miserable about yourself.
Some people also keep working during retirement because can’t afford to lose their friends and connections. For example, if you have friends you worked with for 30 years, remaining in your job might be your only chance to connect with them.
Contributions people make and fulfillment from their work keep many people working after they turn 80 years. For example, many specialists in medical fields keep working because they enjoy what they do and the lives they touch with their practices.
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