Moving from the world of work to retirement might feel like a big change.
While you may be glad to leave the early morning alarms and endless paperwork behind, you might miss the people that were part of your daily working life.
Indeed, keeping socially active can support both mental and physical health. And yet, according to research by Age UK more than a quarter (26%) of people aged 50 and over are rarely or never leaving their homes for social activities.
If you feel that your social life has taken a dip since you retired or you’re keen to plan for when you finish working, read on to discover seven interesting ideas for staying socially active during this new chapter of your life.
1. Spend time with workplace friends in different environments
There’s no need to abandon important work relationships as soon as you retire.
If you find yourself missing former colleagues, why not reach out and suggest a meet up away from the office?
In fact, keeping in touch with your coworkers could ease the transition from your working life to retirement.
Think about who you’d like to stay in contact with and what you might have in common beyond the workplace. By meeting up in different environments, you might find that your friendships develop in a way they may not have when they were confined by a work setting.
2. Take up a new hobby
For many of us, our working years are busy. You might have juggled family commitments, career aspirations and plenty more besides.
The beauty of retirement is that you probably have considerably more freedom to choose how you spend your time.
So, if there’s something you’ve always wanted to try but didn’t have the opportunity, now could be an ideal time to have a go!
Taking up a new hobby could allow you to spend time doing something you love while building new friendships with people who share your interests.
Researching classes and events at your local college or joining community groups online could be a good way to find people to share your hobby with.
3. Offer to look after your grandchildren
Spending time with the younger members of your family could add welcome variety to your social life and help you build strong relationships with both your children and grandchildren.
It could also keep you fit enough to enjoy a full social life during your retirement. Indeed, research suggests that grandparents who play regularly with their grandchildren tend to stay active and healthy longer. They may also enjoy social and cognitive benefits.
4. Try out friendship apps
If you’ve relied on meeting people through work or perhaps your children’s and grandchildren’s schools, it may feel harder to make new friends when you’re retired.
Fortunately, there are plenty of helpful friendship mobile apps available that make it easy to meet people who live near you and share similar interests.
For example, Meetup allows you to set up a profile and match with people based on your shared interests. And, Nextdoor connects you with people in your local community.
A major advantage of making friends this way is that it gives you the opportunity to meet people you might not otherwise cross paths with. You could also choose friends based on interests, location, preferred activities, and so on.
5. Join your local u3a
Joining your local u3a could be a great way to find and develop new interests and make friends in a relaxed environment.
The u3a movement is a collection of groups (u3as) that run local and online member-led learning across the UK, in particular, for those no longer in full time work.
There are over 1000 u3as across the UK and each runs their own programme of activities. The subjects and events offered are wide-ranging, from lessons in biology, languages, and architecture to art workshops, physical activities, discussion groups and more.
You could make a difference, stay active, learn new skills, and have fun meeting new people – all at the same time!
Aswell as local group activities, there are national programmes, online activities, and an annual festival.
Use the U3a Google map to find your nearest u3a.
6. Volunteer in your community
Volunteering in your community could be a rewarding and fun way to meet like-minded people locally.
No matter where you live, there’s likely to be countless worthy causes who need enthusiastic volunteers to continue their work.
To narrow down your search, think about what you enjoy doing and identify charities that are close to your heart. Do you love gardening or are you passionate about crafts? Are you a dedicated supporter of animal welfare charities or are you more interested in conserving historic buildings?
A quick online search or even a walk about town will probably provide plenty of opportunities to choose from.
7. Schedule regular activities
Just as you might have planned your work diary, consider scheduling regular social activities and meet-ups into your retirement routine.
You may want to enjoy your freedom from work and take each day as it comes, but planning some regular social activities could help you transition from working life and ensure that you’re never at a loose end for long.
Get in touch
If you’d like to know more about how we can help you plan for your retirement, please email us at hello@intelligentpensions.com or call 0800 077 8807.
Please note
This article is for general information only and does not constitute advice. The information is aimed at retail clients only.
