Retiring, you might be at the crossroads of feeling like you can finally take a break, at the same time, feel like all the past years just slipped through your fingers that you can’t help but want to make the most out of the remaining years of your life. In the spirit of maintaining a middle ground between these two contrasting sentiments, here are ideas on how you would rather spend your retirement years and, yes, your hard-earned retirement benefits:
Relaxation
God knows how much you abused your body just to bring food to the table and pay the bills. Now that you are retired, make sure to make up for the weekends you spent cleaning the house or doing extra work in the office instead of using it to unwind. You deserve to get that full-body spa blowout you forwent for other higher-priority expenses back in the day.
Subscribing for facial, body scrub, massage, manicure, and pedicure sessions in your favorite center might cost you a fortune. However, almost ultimately, you will realize that regularly going for your scheduled sessions is all it takes for you to release all the pent-up tension in your body that you have endured for a while now as a result of daily stress. As cliche as it sounds, life is too short not to reward yourself for all the years of hard work.
In case you are not familiar, do not hesitate to inquire from the center’s manager about the packages they offer. It’s better if you make friends with the staff and the managers to be up-to-date with their offers, especially the limited-time ones, like during anniversary celebrations or if they have a new technology they want to introduce to their clients.
If you become a regular patron, they will most certainly credit your loyalty to your account, making you eligible for discounts. Paying in full for packages, perhaps with the assistance of your credit card, could also help you avail of discounts and rack up reward points in the spa, and with these, you can unlock exclusive rewards.
Beautification
Now that you can finally take a permanent break from work, you can also give your undivided focus to maintaining a youthful look. Although it is practically impossible to look the way you did in your younger years, there is nothing wrong with aspiring to feel good about how you look now. Besides, doing so also boosts your confidence, which helps you pursue your other goals while you still have time.
Just make sure to approach certified dermatologists who can hear your skin concerns and examine your face so that they can recommend the best-fitting treatment. Older people tend to have a lower capability of retaining moisture and supplying collagen to their skin, and so their skin sags. However, innovations like PDO thread techniques enable dermatologists to tighten loose skin and, in turn, restore a patient’s youthful looks.
If your problem is hair, there are also grafting solutions to put an end to that. Varicose and other prominent veins you want to lessen the appearance of can be done so with the help of procedures like sclerotherapy and laser treatment.
Faith-enriching Activities
If you have always been a devoted Christian, going on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land might have always been one of your lifelong goals or, as a Muslim, a trip to Mecca. For you, reaching the place to be for your school of faith would be the zenith of your religious experience. As a retiree still in good health, embarking on such a missionary journey is an invaluable experience.
That said, paying for the trip should not be a difficult decision. Only make sure that you approach an accredited travel agency with a track record of offering trip packages to your desired location. Maintaining close ties with your local church or place of worship from the get-go would also be helpful as you and your siblings in faith can arrange and finalize a trip together.
Health Maintenance
Your health now is the reward you reap for how well you kept yourself in good shape for the past decades. In whatever state of health you are right now, you should still keep watch. This time, you might have to shell out more of your monthly budget for health-maintaining supplements, medications, doctor visits, and treatments.
Staying active at an old age is considered a luxury, and most likely, it will cost you a significant amount. However, think of maintaining your health as a means to extend the time you can still spend with your children and grandchildren.
The Bottom Line
The sudden absence of activity after retirement may feel overwhelming at first. However, remember that there is still more to life, so do not put this blessing to waste.