Retirement Blues?
Day in, day out- 9am to 5pm - but you seldom leave on the dot from work.
Day in, day out- 9am to 5pm - but you seldom leave on the dot from work.
Day in, day out - your shift patterns make your sleeping patterns and social time out haywire.
You picture that life will be better after retirement, where you can wake up anytime you want, be stress-less from the rigours of datelines. In short, you can take it easy everyday.
But can taking it too easy be hard on you?
You picture a stress-free life with grandchildren after retirement. But now after your retirement, you constantly catch yourself getting agitated by the play mess left by them.
Everything must be spotless, spick and span and that coffee cup rings on the table (oh no! Someone forgot to use the coasters for cups!), and you hyper ventilate with anxiousness.
Come 2030, one in four Singaporeans will be aged 65 and above as compared to one in eight today. So there will be an increased numbers of seniors by then.
Ourselves, as seniors or even us as families and friends to seniors, we ask why do we or why does our moms and dads or grannies and grandaddys behave differently after retirement?
It is the retirement blues and the seniors' loneliness syndrome because you feel that everyone - your children, grandchildren and friends just seems to be too busy for you.
So how can you, as seniors get rid of this stress?
Tips:
MAKING the change a HAPPY change.
The keyword is to CREATE a new routine.
Give your life a STRUCTURE.
Every time you depend on others to fulfil your needs for company, you set yourself up for disappointment in case they cancel/reschedule your appointment.
Even though your daughter cancels a day out with you on genuine reasons, your empty mind might conjure that perhaps she is taking you for granted. An empty mind is a devil's playground.
Be aware that one negative thought can set off a bad day.
FILL YOUR MIND. READ.
GOOGLE. Or learn I.T. on app and mobile or even the computer.
Knowledge is empowerment.
The more you know, the more you know you know that you dont know.
Yishun's newest biggest shopping centre in the north - Northpoint City Mall will open an i.t. savy and user friendly library this Sat. Make it your hangout of knowledge!
Retirement can also come with changes in your relationship with a spouse or partner or family. "If you have a partner or family at home who is not used to you being around all the time, both of you have to adjust".
- learn how to enjoy having breakfast or groceries shopping together
- be a tourist in your own country. Explore and visit places of interest in your country
- ride the mrt off peak and enjoy the sites and scenery and eateries
AND YOU ARE SPECIAL!
Off-peak charges for public transportations - buses and mrt in Singapore are subsidised by the government for you. Even watching movies in the cinemas off-peak is cheaper.
Staying engaged
In retirement, you have more time
— but to do what?
Doing either too little or too much can lead to the same symptoms, such as anxiety, depression, appetite loss, memory impairment and even insomnia.
Stay engaged. The world needs you! We need your experience and wisdom.
- do volunteering once a week,
- taking a new skill class eg baking or repair hacks or flower making classes
- launching a new career post career eg online business for instance
- choose a social activity, because research suggests that social engagement is as important to your health as exercise and a healthy diet.
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| Passing the Plate Game at Tg Pagar CC |
Note: do not overwhelmed yourselves by taking up too much. Make your life a holiday - exciting and rejuvenating and personally enriching.
Have a new best friend. He or she can be the classmate you meet in your course. Common interest bonds.
Move
It is not that you are old, you cant move.
It is that you grow old when you dont move.
Exercises such as walking, swimming, carrying water bottles as "weights" and even stretching regularly 2 or 3 times weekly, have been shown to offer great benefits to seniors in being happier, healthier and fitter. Even dancing or walking & kicking a ball!
Why seniors need to exercise?
1. Improved blood circulation
2. You breathe better
3. Increased joint flexibility so seniors can move better
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| Flexibility at Gek Poh Ville CC |
4. You become stronger
5. Feel more energetic
6. As your balance improves, you decrease the risk of falls.
7. Endorphins is an exercise-enducing hormones that makes you happy and confident.
7. Endorphins is an exercise-enducing hormones that makes you happy and confident.
Yours always in health and happiness (and a Senior herself),
Dee Dee Mahmood
Read more:
http://iamdeedeemahmood.blogspot.sg/2017/10/i-am-dee-dee-mahmood.html
Dee Dee Mahmood, multi award winning Celebrity Exercise Physiologist and Nutritionist, is the Academic Adjunct Senior Lecturer at Edith Cowan University Australia. Her PhD research on obesity was chosen for its impact on obesity in Asia and was accepted and presented at the President's Cup Award, American College of Sports Medicine Northwest Annual Meeting in Tacoma, Washington. Ambassadors to brands like Reebok and Norwegian Seafood Council, this TEDX Speaker has several signature community programs to her name, Fat2Fit Asia and Walking Football for Health Asia. She conducts synergy on community and corporate health and research collaborations internationally.
Read more:
http://iamdeedeemahmood.blogspot.sg/2017/10/i-am-dee-dee-mahmood.html