One of the ways to address the stress of a world we cannot control is put time into a creative outlet. Perhaps you can do it every day, like cooking relieves stress for me. I don’t just mean go walk or work out at the gym. You probably get great benefits from that. Just as a weekly golf game with friends combines the fun of the game with a social side.
Perhaps it is playing an instrument, writing poetry, painting, or dancing. Expressing yourself in a way that you don’t do otherwise. You might even call it a hobby. When my husband Paul retired from practicing law 2 years ago, he turned his hobby, photography, into a major obsession. He has used photoshop for years so it isn’t just taking good pictures and sharing them. He has over 100,000 photos he took through the years. Paul has spent weeks re-cataloging them, backing them up on line and on a separate hard drive. He spends hours “developing them” into final pictures. For him, this is SO satisfying. I’m watching the joy with amazement. This is fun? Yup. For him it is.
If you know Paul, you know he makes birthday cards for all the family members. He now has time to make them for friends, too. He produces books of our travels, books of our dog, Bogie. He creates story books for the grandkids in which they are the main character. Sometimes, I have to drag him away from the computer to walk the dog. (Just like when he was practicing law).
May I suggest you put the phone into a drawer when you are tired of the daily stress and draw or sing or learn to shuffle dance. Your brain will create some new neural pathways, and you will feel less stressed. Perhaps, a hobby you love now can grow into a joyous obsession when you retire.
If you don’t think Vistage peer groups get value at every meeting-from the speakers, the conversations and the input from your peers, don’t click here.