Interacting, keeping busy, makes retirement more fun.

It’s always easy to say, “How I wish I could retire today ah!”, but when I actually got there, I suddenly realised that when I’m not working, every day I feel damn sian. My friends started to notice how I started looking more moody all the time, and even went through a period of not wanting to leave the house. 

Yam Tong told me one day, “Eh brudder, I worried about you leh, I saw on the internet that retirees sometimes can get depression if they every day feel damn sian and do nothing leh.” 

Wah, I hear already also scared. After this, I went to read up on how to make retirement less boring and more meaningful for myself, and I must say, I’ve been feeling less bored lately, and even become more active in general. So here are some useful tips on how to be less boliao in retirement. 

1. Create a routine

Routines help to keep your mind occupied on days where you might really be very free. Having a routine also gives you something to keep your focus on, and also helps reduce anxiety. 

Which is why I started driving Grab after retiring, it gave me a routine to follow, because I only like to drive for a few hours. Hehehe. But for those few hours, I interact with others, so I don’t feel like I am alone in all this. 

2. Pick up a new hobby

Picking up a new hobby gives you something to look forward to, as well as keeping your mind busy. Better still pick up a hobby with a friend! So, I signed up for some online ukulele classes at Ukulele Movement. Turns out, my neighbourhood got a lot of people play ukulele leh. So we sign up together. There’s nothing quite like hanging out with your kakis and playing the ukulele together.

3. Talk cock, sing song with your friends

Speaking of singing song, you know when they say “No man is an island”, people are more social than they’re led to believe. While some of us are more introverted than others, we need to constantly remind ourselves to interact with others to help with our mental health. 

Retirement gives you the license to TCSS. Gather your kakis, head for your favourite coffeeshop and talk about anything under the sun. I feel like I learn so much from the people around me. 

4. Be curious!

Speaking of learning, I’ve found new meaning in looking for new things to be curious about all the time. Especially on YouTube, with channels such as Game Theory or VSauce, I’ve picked up on a lot of info that I would’ve never thought about—and it makes me excited. Join the chat groups, make new friends, it doesn’t have to be one-way watching.   

By keeping ourselves idle without doing anything, we allow our thoughts to be scattered and permit them to wander in unnecessary zones. This results in the draining of our mental energy and ultimately creates frustration and anxiety within us.

Here’s a list of fun and interesting YouTube channels you can follow: 

• Because Science — Interesting facts on science 
• Game/Film/Food Theory — explaining the background to pop culture 
• Watchfinder & Co. — talks about the background of watches 
• MKBHD — easy-to-digest tech reviews
• Donut Media — fun channel that talks about all things cars 

5. Engage yourself physically 

Doing some light sports such as brisk walking (best with your partner or friends) or bowling also helps the body to produce adrenaline, dopamine and serotonin. 

So for that, I’ve been going to the park a lot more to cycle, as well as brisk-walk. You know ah, some of the neighbourhood fitness corner stations quite fun one leh. But sometimes, we talk more than we exercise. But it’s OK. We got a lot of time one.

All in all, retirement can be quite challenging for some, especially for me, always easily bored kind. So the key thing is, just need to keep yourself engaged lor, both physically and, mentally.