When it’s Time to Kick Back and Relax – A Positive Lifestyle Change

Eventually, we all come to that time in our lives when it is time to slow down after years of hard work. Although we may not want to give up work and other responsibilities, we certainly welcome the prospect of having more time for ourselves – something that isn’t always possible when attempting to juggle a full-time job and time for the family.

As we begin to slow down and look to enjoy some of life’s finer things, it is only natural to evaluate what our current situation is. Such as your financial status (can you afford to go part-time or retire?), where you are living (could you move somewhere quieter?) and how close you want to stay to relatives. If you are in a position where you can begin to make life revolve around you and not the other way around, making more time for yourself is a healthy lifestyle change that you should be making.

Part-Time or Retire Outright?

Whether you want to reduce your workload and go part-time, or retire outright, completely comes down to you. If the thought of having no work to get up for in the morning sounds frightening, going part-time is for you – going from one extreme to the other can be a shock to the system, while a part-time job helps to keep your finances topped up.

Semi-retirement means that you can maintain a part-time position (ask your employer about this as they may be willing to offer the hours that you are looking for). A few hours in the morning leaves the afternoon open to spend as you wish where you could potentially take up a hobby, renew an old interest or simply sit and snooze in front of the television.

Move Out of the City

When you begin to slow down, you may find that you prefer to live somewhere a little bit more laid back than your current habitat. Big cities are awash with busybodies pushing and shoving to get from A to B – it’s something that you just don’t want to contend with on a daily basis.

Rural areas offer a sanctuary away from busy cities, promoting a lifestyle more akin to the one that you might be looking for. Green fields replace buildings and noisy roads make way for peaceful rivers. If you worry that you cannot afford to live in such sought-after locations, it could be worth looking into parks with residential homes. Here, you can keep the cost of living down to a minimum while making the most of a natural setting.

Making Time for Family

One of the biggest perks of slowing down is that you have more time for those that matter, your family. Life can be busy which means that families often don’t have time to see one another half as much as they’d like – now, with time firmly on your side, you can make more time for loved ones.

Grandchildren, for many, are the number one reason for cutting down work hours. If you are fortunate to have grandchildren in your life, no doubt that they, too, take their place towards the top of your list of reasons to make more time.

Time to Travel

Finally, reaching the point of retirement or semi-retirement means that, at last, you have the time to travel the world and see places that, once, you could only dream of. At this point in your life, you have earned the right to travel and think about number one, so what are you waiting for?

Reaching the age of retirement shouldn’t feel as though it is the end as, in reality, it is only the beginning. With more time for yourself, now the world truly is your oyster.

This is a collaborative post.