7 Ways to Stay Social in Retirement

Most of us think retirement will bring more opportunities to spend time with friends and family. And, that’s true. But, it doesn’t just magically happen without planning and a little bit of effort.

For the extroverts among us, it’s as easy as picking up the phone or shooting a text: Want to get together for lunch tomorrow? But, for those who tend to wait for invitations to come to us, a more proactive approach may be in order.

A healthy social life is an important part of your retirement success. Here are a few suggestions to get you “out there” in a painless way:

1. A few weeks prior to your last day at work, send an email to all of your friends and family announcing the big news, mentioning that you are “now available for coffee or lunch at the time and place of your choice.”
2. Make a regular lunch date – once a week or month – with your favorite former colleagues to catch up with each others’ lives.
3. Consider joining a service club that meets once a week – think Rotary, Kiwanis or Optimists – where you can “table hop” every week to meet new people.
4. Pair up with a friend or neighbor to organize a book club, regular games night or dinner-and-a-movie group. By sharing duties, you can be the recruiter or work behind the scenes to arrange logistics.
5. Find a coffee shop or breakfast spot with a big, communal table and hunker down for an hour or so each week. You’ll be amazed at the interesting people you can meet that way.
6. Attend a gathering on MeetUp.com.  There are tons of interest groups to check out from sailing enthusiasts to wine lovers to hikers. Simply go to meetup.com, enter your zip code and….voila… instant friends!
7. Take a trip to reunite with old friends. Look up an old buddy from high school, college or beyond and suggest a get-together in their neck of the woods. This is great way to tie-in a vacation to a place you may have never visited before.  And, you’ll have a wonderful time reminiscing!

Besides a strong social life, there are four other areas critical to success in retirement:  Health and Nutrition, Personal relationships, Self identity and Financial. Find out how prepared and enthusiastic you are right now in each of those areas. Take our complimentary readiness assessment today.