Retirement can sometimes be a very lonely and miserable time for many people, especially those without retirement hobbies. This is because, after retiring, you will most likely lose touch with your friends, coworkers, clients, etc. At the same time, you will not have enough people around you to spend time with especially when everyone still works 24/7.
As a result, you will feel lonely and forgotten very fast. You will feel like people around you no longer care about you and you have nowhere to turn.
This lifestyle could easily turn into immense stress, anxiety, or depression in the worst-case scenario. What some people end up doing is to have a part-time job or another full-time job just to have people around them.
The problem with this lifestyle is that you just retired only to head to another full-time job. This does not sound like retirement at all.
What if you don’t want to take on another job or you are not in conditions where you can afford to work? This is where picking up retirement hobbies comes into play.
Instead of working until you die, you can easily start a less stressful retirement hobby to help you pass the time, be comfortable, and enjoy life like you always dreamt of. If you are in your retirement and looking for something to occupy you, I have put together a list of 22 fund retirement hobbies you can start today.
What are retirement hobbies?
As simple as they sound, retirement hobbies are activities you can do during your retirement to help you live a comfortable life while doing something you love. For example, if you enjoy creating different objects, you can spend time doing pottery or knitting. With these activities, you can easily make fun things and give them away to your grandkids, other family members, or friends.
Some retirement hobbies can earn you money whereas others can’t. If you want to make money during retirement, focusing on retirement side hustles will be a great way to make extra cash. If making money during retirement is not on your bucket list, only focus on retirement hobbies that help you pass the time without stress.
Without further ado, here are 22 retirement hobbies you can start today and live happily.
1. Read books
One of the most important things you must do in your retirement is to keep your brain fresh and sharp at all times. That is you must keep training your mind to learn new skills and refresh your memories. This is why reading books is one of the best retirement hobbies to keep your mind sharp. Reading books prevents you from forgetting what you already know and keeps you happy and motivated.
According to All Seniors Care, reading books has a lot of health benefits for seniors. These benefits, include but are not limited to, the following.
- Reading books increases your analytical thinking
- Reading books sharpens your focus
- You live longer from reading books
- Reading books helps you sleep better
- Your stress level diminishes when you read books
Not only that you stay sharp and happy, but reading books as a retirement hobby can also increase your life expectancy. Havard Health Publishing reported that a study published in the issue of Social Science & Medicine in September 2016 showed a difference between people who regularly read and those who don’t.
The study was conducted on 5,635 individuals over 50 years old in health and retirement and showed that individuals who read had a 20% lower chance of dying in the following 12 years compared to those do did not read. These health benefits are the reasons why reading books comes on top among all retirement hobbies you can think of.
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2. Start a garden
Reaching retirement age also means that your health will be deteriorating slowly. To stay healthy and keep your immune system strong, you must stick to a healthy diet. Buying healthy food, however, can be expensive especially if you are living on a tight retirement budget. An alternative way to get healthy meals is to start a garden and grow your food.
What makes gardening an exceptional retirement hobby is that it allows you to stay active, and have outdoor exposure which is essential to your health. Additionally, gardening allows you to grow your food which is essential in boosting your immune system and saving you money on your grocery bills.
You don’t necessarily need to have edible plants in your garden. If you don’t like fruits and vegetables, you can still have a garden full of flowers or other types of plants of your choosing. Gardening can keep you busy and help you pass the time during your retirement.
The beauty of gardening is that you can also start gardening classes where you teach people how to make gardens that produce abundant food. There are a lot of people who want to learn how to change their lives by producing their food through gardening. You can be their teacher.
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3. Write books/eBooks
Retirement is a great time to think and reflect on the life you have lived. You have so much life and work experience that can benefit others if there is a way they can access it. Many people can learn from your unique life experience, your mistakes, your successes, your failures, your regrets, your appreciation, and much more.
Your entire life from start to finish is like a book made of 65+ years of content. You can put your whole life in a book and teach the younger generation.
This is why writing a book/eBook is one of the best retirement hobbies for retirees. Writing books/eBooks will exercise your brain, refresh your memories, and help you stay in shape due to having this new life goal to achieve. This will give you a new purpose in life and increase your happiness.
4. Knitting is a great retirement hobby
If you like to make things with your hands or looking for things you can create, knitting could be something to occupy you for a while. For some people, knitting is a soothing hobby that helps reduce stress, build confidence, and help you pass the time. To people in retirement, however, knitting is extra beneficial as it keeps them active and less stressed.
With this retirement hobby, you will make beautiful things such as blankets, clothes, mats, etc. Life is about creating memories. So, things you create from knitting can be used as Christmas gifts to your loved ones or be donated to people in need.
In the end, you will find happiness, build memories, and make a difference at the same time.
5. Try sewing
Just like knitting, sewing is another great retirement hobby you can easily start today to have fun and pass the time during retirement. With this hobby, you can create clothes and other designs that are great for donating or giving to loved ones as gifts.
If you end up making more designs, you can sell your crafts online or create a local store to help you bring in revenues.
6. Walking is a great retirement hobby
Retirement life can be harsh especially when you do not practice daily physical activities. Your body shuts down easily and you feel tired almost all the time from doing nothing.
That is why even if you don’t want to join a gym, you can still achieve some physical activities by walking outside.
Walking is one of the best hobbies for retired people as it refreshes your body and mind, increases your health, and helps you achieve maximum relaxation. According to Better Health, walking for old people can reduce anxiety and depression, strengthen their muscles, help reduce blood pressure, lower the risk of stroke, help manage weight, etc.
Walking also gives you a chance to explore neighborhoods and natural places such as parks and walking trails. All these activities contribute to your natural relaxation, and happiness, and reduce loneliness.
7. Build puzzles
As we become older, our brains slowly lose their capacities and things become much worse during retirement.
After retiring, all your work-related issues will disappear. This means that you might not be able to use your brain as much as you used to which could easily slow your memory and capacity much faster.
To keep your brain sharp, you must get engaged in fun activities that challenge you daily. One such activity you should consider is doing puzzles.
Puzzles such as Jigg Puzzles are some of the best retirement hobbies. These puzzles make your brain think harder, be creative, and stay active. According to Alliance Home Care, puzzles can help aging adults with short-term memory improvements, increase concentration abilities, reduce stress, and increase social skills.
If you are looking for a retirement hobby that will keep you happy and healthy, start doing puzzles.
8. Play a musical instrument
By default, playing instruments is one of the best hobbies of people of all ages. As reported by Brain Facts, playing a musical instrument is like doing a full-body workout. The music engages every part of your brain which includes regions that deal with memory, vision, movement, and sound. This helps reduce your stress level and loneliness.
Playing musical instruments keeps your brain focused on learning instead of fading and forgetting. As a result, your overall happiness gets a boost at the same time.
9. Learn to cook and bake
Being retired means that you no longer work on your main full-time job. But it does not mean you should stop learning and fade with time. You can easily pick up a new skill to keep your mind sharp and active. One of the best retirement hobbies you can start that also builds skills is cooking and baking. Cooking and baking are like art. You think creatively, mix different ingredients, and make wonderful meals.
Instead of being just a retiree, you become a creator. You only lose your job so that you can start creating life experiences and making good changes.
If you don’t have cooking or baking experience, do not be discouraged. You can always learn through online videos, cooking shows, or enroll in an online cooking class.
10. Fishing is a great retirement hobby
Fishing is a very nice and relaxing outdoor activity. Many people do it for sport. Others, however, fish for food.
Besides these benefits, fishing can be a good retirement hobby for those who like outdoor activities. Fishing is a great way to work out, manage stress, and increase overall happiness. Spending more time outdoors also helps you connect with nature and other people which reduces loneliness.
11. Travel and visit different places
The world is like a book and your life is just a page in a thick book. Spending your life in one location without traveling is like reading one page of a book over and over again. Without continuing, you will never know what the rest of the book is about.
This is why you need to travel around the world and see what other places have to offer.
The more you travel, the more new things you will learn and discover. From traveling, you will discover new places, and food, and meet new people. You will learn different languages, build new relationships, visit historical places and museums, parks, and much more.
The outcome of these activities and adventures is a healthy life full of joy and happiness. This is why traveling is one of the best retirement hobbies to start in this century.
12. Have regular family games
Playing games is one way to strengthen relationships, fight stress, and build trust. This applies to all ages, cultures, and countries. Games refresh your memories and keep your mind fully focused.
Family games are also important since they bring the whole family together. Being in retirement can sometimes make you feel lonely. For example, if all your children are married or have full-time jobs, it will be difficult to hang out with them.
So, the only way to spend quality time with busy loved ones and have fun at the same time is through family games.
13. Learn a new language
One of my favorite retirement hobbies is to learn a new language. You are probably saying: I am retired, and therefore, I don’t need to learn another language.
Why would you learn another language in the first place?
Learning a language helps you grow in many ways and here are two common ones.
- Prevent your brain from shutting down. To live longer and make sure that you keep your brain functional, you need to keep learning as much as possible. Since you are retired, you no longer need to read textbooks, manufacturing manuals, design books, etc. The only thing you can learn that is beneficial is a new language. The language will challenge you to stay active and be happy while doing it. In the end, your brain will stay active as you take on this new adventure. Hence, preserving old memories and creating more.
- Building memories. As we age, there are things we stop worrying about. Being super rich will fade from your main goals. The only thing you start worrying about is the memories you built, places you visited, tasty foods you ate, friends you made, etc. How does a new language help you to build great memories? The answer lies in traveling. One of the best ways to build great memories is through travel. Visiting places, learning how others live, eating food you never tasted before, etc. is very satisfying. One thing that will help you maximize your happiness and build great memories when traveling is speaking the language of the places you visit.
If you want a retirement hobby that will help you build memories, increase your happiness, and stay motivated in your retirement, learn a new language. Nothing beats the feeling you get when communicating with people directly without using a third party.
14. Participate in volunteering programs
The main challenge in your retirement is to meet new people and make friends. You might not have the chance to hang out with your old coworkers as most of them might still be working. For this reason, you will need other ways to hang out with people. One way to meet a lot of people and increase your reach is through volunteering.
It is always important to avoid loneliness and other activities that will keep you away from others. This is why volunteering is one of the best hobbies for retirees anyone can get involved with. By volunteering, you will get to meet a lot of new people who share the same passion as you. This will help you build new friendships and keep you happy and motivated.
15. Start a free coaching program
You have lived a life full of experiences and wonders. What you know from work and life experiences can be used to help younger generations.
Instead of being bored at home without something to do, start an online course and share your experiences. Starting a course will not be hard if you already know the material.
For example, if you were a business teacher, you could make a business course that teaches people how to start their businesses. This course can be posted on learning websites or on your blog, social media platform, etc.
If you don’t want to get paid for offering the courses, you can still offer them for free. A good way to keep it entertaining is to make it live where you interact with students face to face.
16. Become a tour guide
Being in retirement means that you are no longer worried about becoming a millionaire, making a ton of money, etc.
These desires will soon disappear once you reach old age. Your biggest worry is the well-being of your loved ones and building great memories.
One way to build good memories is to travel. The problem with constant traveling is that it costs a lot of money.
What you can do, however, is to become a tour guide. Even if you will not be traveling a lot, you will get to help thousands of people from different countries, build good friendships, learn new languages, and increase your happiness at the same time. In the end, if you get to travel to countries where those people are from, you could call them and stay at their places or just have them show you around.
17. Become a photographer
Photography is one of my favorite retirement hobbies. This hobby is like art. The only difference is that with art, you get to create original things directly from your mind. With photography, you take pictures that are hard to replicate which resemble natural art.
If you like the outdoors and enjoy taking pictures, consider making photography your retirement hobby. This hobby will increase your mental sharpness, improve your involvement with nature, and make you happy.
18. Start a blogger
Blogging is probably one of my all-time retirement hobbies. There are two forms of blogging. (1) blogging for money and (2) blogging for fun.
Since you are retired, you are not worried about money that much, and if you need money, you can always monetize your blog.
With a blog, you can share as much information as possible. Your audience will appreciate every piece of content you put out there. Anything you blog about will work since the purpose of your blog is not to make money.
To make it easy and fun for you, blog about something you enjoy doing. Make sure you blog about things you love to do. Even if you have work experience in a particular field, you may not find peace blogging in that area unless you enjoy it.
19. Be an animal caretaker
Do you like animals and enjoy taking care of them? If so, being an animal caregiver could be something you are looking for. Many people struggle with things to do in their retirement. What they thought was going to be a time of happiness and living the dreams, turn into nightmares, boredom, and loneliness.
What you can do to combat this issue is to find something you love to do and focus on it. If you are an animal lover, then consider being an animal caregiver. That is it. With this retirement hobby, you will be doing what you love which will help you increase your happiness and reduce your stress levels.
20. Try painting
Are you good with your hands and like to create beautiful things? If so, painting is something you are going to appreciate in your retirement. Paintings are some of the most complex and beautiful creations you can ever make. They display the original realities of their creators.
Painting is one of those arts that keep you motivated and focused at the same time. This in turn keeps your brain fully functional and improving at all times which makes painting a perfect hobby in your retirement.
Of course, you must be motivated and have the calling for painting.
You must spend your retirement time doing what you love. You don’t want to spend 70% of your life doing a job you don’t like and spend the remaining time repeating the same mistakes.
So, before you embark on any retirement hobbies, make sure that you love what you are doing. You are no longer working for a paycheck, a bonus, or a raise. This is a time you take back control of your life, do what you love, and what makes you happy.
21. Participate in cycling programs
Every city and state has some cycling programs that happen regularly. These programs are designed to help people stay active, engage with others, build communities, or volunteer.
There are usually prizes for people who perform well in these cycling competitions. If you like the outdoors and you are competitive, join these programs. With cycling programs, you will get to enjoy outdoor activities and hang out with amazing friends.
On top of friendships, you will have regular workouts which will improve your performance and health in general.
22. Join book clubs
Book clubs are good places where a lot of people meet. The main idea is to discuss a particular topic in the book to come to a constructive conclusion and help each other.
If you like reading books or doing research, book clubs will be great places to spend some time and make friends. The only thing you have to do is to look in your area and join one book club that suits your needs. Keep in mind that you must contribute to the clubs and follow their regular meeting schedules to get the most out of them.
