Beatitudes Community

Make Life Good

How's life?  I hope so very good.  Did you know, though, that just a few years back a national survey discovered that the number of retirees who say their retirement is “very satisfying” has dropped nearly 13% in the last decade and below the 50% level for the time?  Theories are being generated as to why.  Some suggest it is for financial reasons and more prevalent theories deduce that is comes from the yearning for more and varied activities than is often available to them.

An article from the website MarketWatch has some excellent advice on how to make life good.  Most of you know this all too well, but I wanted to share some of it so as to affirm your excellent instincts.

Stay socially connected.  Keeping up with old friends and making new ones is extremely vital to one's emotional outlook – your mental health.   New friends often open our minds to new and new .  There is not a better set up than the Beatitudes community for that.  Consider joining someone you do not know for or dinner, or greeting and talking with a neighbor you have never really spent time with.  Don't forget the New Neighbor Welcome Coffee every 4th Community Wednesday either.  Meet them right off the bat.

Find things you to do.  Research shows that the happiest retirees are those who keep themselves busy.  Another researcher and author notes that, “Following your interests and passions can add years to your life, and joy to your golden years.”  Think about those things that have brought you joy over the years of your life and do them again. There probably was never a good reason to stop doing them anyway other than life got too busy.  Beatitudes has nearly 100 groups and activities taking place right now, and if per chance not a one of those is your passion, let us know and we will make it happen and bet others will want to be part of it too.  We will get you the list if the Beatitudes does not have something calling out to you today.

Plan the use of your time.  Rob Pascale, a psychologist and the co-author of “The Retirement Maze,” cautions that “without adequate planning, you have a lack of structure, and that can make you feel you have little personal control over your life.”  Write out your for each day, week or month.  Plan out your participation with a good number of those over 100 groups and activities.

The article concludes with something that all of us know and that is, if we create the expectations for happiness and joy the more likely we will meet or exceed them.

So let's plan on it. Make life good, beginning today and every day.

Author Info: Rev. David Ragan, Sr. VP Resident Services Verified Senior Staff
Rev. David W. Ragan is the Senior Vice President of Resident Services at Beatitudes Campus.

Get involved!

Comments

No comments yet