One of your biggest fears of retirement may not be giving up the hustle and bustle of the working world but remaining socially connected. After all, with your coworkers, you have likely made some close personal friendships. You likely treasure them and consider them as closer (if not closer) than your family members and other friends outside the work force.

Well, we’re here to tell you that you don’t need to feel this way. You can still maintain these friendships and develop new friendships as well. You can stay socially connected during retirement and don’t have to alienate yourself. To do so, you simply have to be willing to put forth the effort. In this article, we’ll discuss 10 proven ways to stay connected during retirement.

• Stay in touch with ex-colleagues ­ There’s no getting around it, your coworkers are important to you and therefore you should stay connected to them. Make sure that you contact them by phone or meet your friends for lunch dates. Not only will this keep your connection strong but it will also ensure that you remain up to date on past work happenings and keep your friends from work.

• Create meaningful relationships ­ Besides ex colleagues, now is the time to create new meaningful relationships. To do this, you should connect with family, friends and neighbors too. Perhaps you can engage in after-retirement activities that will enable you to improve these relationships.

• Foster relationship with your spouse ­ Now that you’re retired, you should have more time to spend with your spouse. Take some time to get romantic with them. See if the two of you can re-spark a flame or perhaps develop mutual interests.

• Build a strong social network ­ This can be accomplished by volunteering at your favorite non profit organization, enrolling in a class, or joining a group.

• Join clubs ­ You can connect with like-minded people by joining a club or a social group. Just make sure that it is an actitivy that you would enjoy and will get excited about.

• Participate in community service ­ You can remain connected to people of various dimensions by assisting with some community service projects. For instance, perhaps you can arrange to clean up the parks on Earth Day or participate in the Why Me Cancer Walk.

• Participate in volunteer work ­ Join a worthy cause to be in touch with people. Try to help the deprived and lesser privileged. Alternatively, you can spread awareness about the burning issues that concern people around you. It will be an enriching experience for you too.

• Explore a hobby ­ In exploring this hobby, join a group of people who also have this interest such as a knitting club or ski club. This will increase your interaction with people with similar interests.

• Re-educate yourself ­ Participate in classes that you can learn something new with other people. Make sure that you keep a positive and friendly attitude and you’ll meet new people all the time.

• Connect with family­ This is a wonderful way to remain connected with your children, and your grand children, with whom you may not have fostered a close relationship during your working life. You can’t start any sooner, so cease the moment right now and you’ll be happy that you took the time.

In conclusion, you can remain connected during retirement. You simply have to be willing to connect with family, re-educate yourself, join a hobby, participate in community service activities, volunteer, join clubs, build a new network, stay in touch with ex-colleagues, foster relationships with your spouse, connect with family, and create meaningful relationships.

Dr. Cynthia Barnett is a ”refired” educator who had reinvented her life moving from the school house to an entrepreneurial venue.. If you are ready to “RE-FIRE” your life sign up for my free 7 day audio mini course on the 7 biggest mistakes retires make and how to avoid them for an extraordinary life at http://www.refiredontretire.com
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