How a morning routine can help you make the most of retirement.

So you’ve moved past those first few months of retirement http://seamslikeastory.com/youre-retired-now-what/ and you’ve settled into your new morning routine.

ROUTINE?? NO! WAIT! I thought I retired so I wouldn’t have any routines!!

Sound familiar? When I retired from a long teaching career, the last thing I wanted was a morning routine. I still had nightmares of my old routine: getting up before it was light, showering, dressing, packing a lunch, grabbing a quick breakfast, besides getting my two children off to school, then driving to my school while running through the day’s lesson plans in my head. 

During my first summer of retirement, I just wanted to sleep, relax, and enjoy my unscheduled time. In my Rip Van Winkle state, I lived on the sofa in yoga pants and a tee shirt!   

But eventually the novelty of this no-routine routine wore off and days were slipping by. I needed a focus, a morning routine, but not like the frantic one I had when teaching. I wanted a morning routine that agreed with my retired lifestyle.

Here are 7 ways to start your day:

#1 Set regular hours

Sleep patterns are bound to change in retirement. No more being jarred awake by that annoying alarm. It took some time for my body to adjust to its own rhythm. I find now I wake up with the sun. It’s a glorious feeling! Along with that, research shows there are health benefits to getting 7-9 hours of sleep each night and going to bed and waking up at roughly the same time each day.

#2 Make your bed

Did you realize that making your bed each morning could have benefits? This simple act could create:

• A feeling of accomplishment
• A sense of calm
• Better sleep
• Enhanced organization
• Improved focus
•  A feeling of relaxation

So pull up the sheets, fluff that comforter, toss on the pillows. Easy-peasy, one thing done! Pat yourself on the back.

#3 Enjoy breakfast

There are some who will advocate for skipping breakfast. The new term is “intermittent fasting.” I tried it. My body rebelled. Besides, after all of those years of dashing out the door with a piece of toast or granola bar, I now have time to enjoy my breakfast. I do best, however, if I don’t overeat at this meal and I don’t want to spend a lot of time cooking or cleaning up in the morning. I keep it simple. My go-to breakfasts are: 

• Greek yogurt with fruit and granola
• Fruit smoothie
• Oatmeal with fruit and nuts
• Avocado toast
• Scrambled eggs, wholegrain toast

Think up 3-4 simple combinations that meet your taste and dietary needs and keep them on hand. At breakfast time, sit at the table (or take breakfast outside in nice weather) and eat mindfully. Enjoy this opportunity to nourish your body.

#4 Exercise

Once I retired, I wasn’t moving around as much as when I was keeping up with young children in the classroom all day, and as we age, exercise becomes even more important. But why morning? If I don’t exercise in the morning, I’m likely to talk myself out of it later in the day. Also, getting my body moving in the morning elevates my mood and helps set the tone for the day. I’m not a gym person, but a brisk morning walk and some gentle yoga stretching is good for the body and brain. 

#5 Journal

Keeping a journal is a beneficial self-care practice. Daily writing can help you reflect on your day-to-day life, set goals and aspirations, express your creativity, track changes in your life, and express gratitude. There are many resources online to help you get started and many types of journaling to explore. For the past few years, I’ve been doing a stream-of-consciousness style of journaling called “morning pages” in Julia Cameron’s book The Artist’s Way. Each day, I write 2-3 pages about whatever comes to mind.

#6 Set an intention for the day

Through journaling or during your morning walk, think of one thing you would like to accomplish during the day. It could be as simple as reaching out to a friend or as complex as starting a quilt or beginning a DIY home project. Explore your hobbies and passions. Plan to work on something that’s meaningful for you. 

#7 Be flexible

Remember, you’re retired. You are allowed to be flexible. There will be mornings when you want to have coffee with a friend, visit the grandchildren, take a trip. Go for it! Practicing a morning routine on most days will allow you to experience retirement to the fullest!

Five Steps to Take in the First Few Months of Retirement

Congratulations! It’s the day you’ve been waiting for!  You’ve had your retirement cake, said goodbye to colleagues, packed up your office.  Now what?

Four years ago, I retired from a thirty-seven year teaching career. I’d received some financial advice, but wasn’t prepared for the emotional side of retirement. Here’s my advice:

  Five Steps to Take in the First Few Months of Retirement

#1 Celebrate Your Professional Accomplishments.

Whether you have worked for twenty, or thirty, or forty years, retirement is a Big Deal! Celebrate! Maybe your friends and colleagues will take you out for dinner or happy hour. Perhaps your employers will mark your years of service with a recognition of some sort or your family will throw a party in your honor. Most likely, there will not be a gold watch with your name engraved on it or a large bonus check. That’s OK, no one wears watches anymore anyway, although the bonus check would be nice. But mark this milestone in your life.  It needn’t be a big, elaborate, expensive affair.

When I retired after a thirty-seven year teaching career, I put together  a simple,  “dinner cruise” around the local lake on a pontoon boat with my family. We had a blast! I took lots of pictures and made a photo book to remember the occasion. My point is, mark the occasion in a way that is meaningful to you. You deserve it, and it will help you put closure on a big part of your life.

 #2  Honor your past.

 After the emotional rush of retirement celebrations die down, take some time to reflect on your past. I went back and visited the buildings that were part of my teaching career, taking pictures of each. Once I was back home, I put together a small photo album and jotted down some memories of the people and events that were important to me. Even if you aren’t able to visit your  past physically, take some time to visit it emotionally. Make a list of all the things you have accomplished and the people you have met along the way.You have a lot to be proud of!

#3 Move on.

Honor your past, but don’t live there. Get ready for the rest of your life. You have time now to do what you want to do. Lots of unstructured time. This can be amazing, but it can also be daunting. At first I was anxious and stressed because I had nothing to be stressed out about. There were boring days, and yes, even days when I questioned my dedcision to retire, but I set aside a year where I resisted the temptation to sign up for anything that would lock me into a schedule. There were opportunities to substitute, teach or volunteer at a school, but frankly, that part of me was depleted, and I needed to allow myself time to recharge.

Some people are afraid to retire because they can’t imagine how they would fill their time. I get it. That, in part, was why I stretched out my teaching career for an extra three years. In retirement, interests I’d put on the back burner for many years emerged. I began to write and sew again. Find your passion. Meet new people. Travel. Go for it!

#4 Prepare Yourself for the Emotional Effects of Retirement

 I hesitate to even bring it up, but you need to know that retirement is not the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. First, there is no gold (you probably already figured that out), but also, being retired doesn’t exempt you from life. You may go through a grieving process. As much as you’d been looking forward to this, retirement may signals a loss of colleagues, professional identity, income. You will still face the challenges of day-to-day living: health scares, family squabbles, financial concerns, closet clutter, aches and pains, midriff bulge… The Retirement Fairy Godmother does not wave her magic wand and turn you into a new person; you will still be you.

#5 Remember that Retirement Won’t Change Who You Are.

You will still be you. That’s the best part! That you have survived, even thrived, in the world of education, or any other field, and made it out in one piece is a testament to the kind of person you are. You are creative, resilient, hardworking, resourceful, positive-thinking, a problem solver, and just a bit crazy. These are the qualities that will carry you through this next stage of your life. You are in charge from here on out and you will be amazing.

 Now go out and buy yourself a new box of crayons. Splurge and get the ninety-six pack with wild, unique colors and sparkles. Oh, and be sure the box has the crayon sharpener on the back. You are going to be coloring in a whole new world!