{"id":1510,"date":"2020-02-22T16:00:12","date_gmt":"2020-02-22T21:00:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.verveseniorliving.com\/news-events-blog\/?p=1510"},"modified":"2022-10-03T15:40:26","modified_gmt":"2022-10-03T15:40:26","slug":"stressed-thinking-about-retirement-how-to-look-on-the-bright-side-of-life","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/verveseniorliving.com\/news-events-blog\/stressed-thinking-about-retirement-how-to-look-on-the-bright-side-of-life\/","title":{"rendered":"Stressed Thinking about Retirement? How to Look on the Bright Side of Life"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Francine
Meet Francine, Feline Resident of Credit River Retirement Residence<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

How do you plan to spend the rest of your life?<\/p>\n

Does this question inspire you to pull out a pen and paper so you can begin plotting?<\/p>\n

Or does the question make you want to hide under the bed sheets?<\/p>\n

It\u2019s easy to overthink this life transition and drive yourself into a frenzy. Luckily, there\u2019s a more carefree approach to retirement that you may want to consider.<\/p>\n

Meet June and Audrey. They live in the Independent Living suites of Credit River Retirement Residence in Streetsville, Mississauga. Call it good fortune \u2014 or a stroke of genius \u2014 but June and Audrey managed to skip retirement prep school and land on their own two feet.<\/p>\n

Their strategy is simple. They\u2019ve chosen to be grateful and to celebrate the bright side of life.<\/p>\n

Here are 3 tips on how to have fun in retirement without losing sleep about it.<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Be Open and Say Yes More than You Say No<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Chances are you have a strong work ethic, but how would you rate your play ethic? Do you say no when a neighbour invites you inside for tea? One way to start building friendships in retirement is to remain open to possibilities.<\/p>\n

    Two years ago, a mutual friend of June\u2019s and Audrey\u2019s introduced the now-friends. \u201cWe were watching a music concert here\u201d at Credit River Retirement Residence, says June, when her friend spotted Audrey across the way.<\/p>\n

    That\u2019s all it took \u2014a friendly wave \u2014 to begin, what turned out to be, a close friendship.<\/p>\n

    \u201cWe think we\u2019re lucky we have each other,\u201d says June, who sealed the relationship that day by asking, \u201cShould we have a glass of wine at the bistro?” To which, Audrey replied \u2014 yes.<\/p>\n

      \n
    1. Stop Making Big Plans and Savour the Small Moments Instead<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      How much do you love your to-do lists? They were once your means for getting things done, such as stocking the cupboards and making sure there were enough gifts under the tree. A list of activities or a routine can be one way to avoid boredom in retirement, but not everyone swears by them.<\/p>\n

      \u201cWe don\u2019t structure our day,\u201d says June, when asked about a typical day in the life of June and Audrey. \u201cWe like the feel of  “spur of the moment.”<\/p>\n

      When June\u2019s or Audrey\u2019s daughters stop by for a visit, the friends often take the opportunity to go out shopping. But they never fuss when it comes to making plans.<\/p>\n

      Rather than plan extraordinary moments, they savour the joy in the small moments.<\/p>\n

      “We have a lot in common,” says Audrey. Both hail from England, love to watch British comedies and laugh at the silly antics of Audrey’s cat. They confess that they spend most of their time chatting and laughing. \u201cAn hour will go by,\u201d admits Audrey, \u201cand we\u2019ll say what did we talk about all this time?\u201d<\/p>\n

        \n
      1. Learn to Laugh When You\u2019d Sooner Cry Me A River<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

        Unfortunately, there will be days when you feel as though life delivers more loss than laughs. June\u2019s husband passed away three years ago. \u201cI\u2019m still not adjusted now,\u201d pipes up June. \u201cMarried 66 years in June.\u201d<\/p>\n

        Audrey recounts how lonely it was living in the same house after her husband died eight years ago. \u201cYou have your days, but we talk it over,\u201d she says, referring to her chum.<\/p>\n

        In spite of the occasional low moments, they choose to be grateful.<\/p>\n

        \u201cThis is all part of life, whether you like it or not,\u201d June proclaims, \u201cWe\u2019re old. And what are you going to do? You make the best of it.\u201d<\/p>\n

        June and Audrey count their blessings. They\u2019re grateful for good marriages, happy children, engaging grandchildren, the beautiful community at Credit River Retirement Residence, and of course, their friendship. Having good friends in retirement, they say, is more vital than at any other time in their lives.<\/p>\n

        So what\u2019s the long-term retirement plan for June and Audrey? If today is any indication, there will definitely be no schedule or strategy meetings.<\/p>\n

        \u201cThis morning we laughed so hard when I spilled yogurt,\u201d says June. I was covered in blueberry yogurt right down from my top to my toes; it was seeping into my sandals.\u201d<\/p>\n

        Therein lies their plan: Always be open, always be grateful, and always look on the bright side of life.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

        How do you plan to spend the rest of your life? Does this question inspire you to pull out a pen and paper so you can begin plotting? Or does the question make you want to hide under the bed sheets? I …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[19,10],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1510","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-residents-stories","category-tips-for-seniors"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nStressed Thinking about Retirement? How to Look on the Bright Side of Life - Verve Senior Living Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/verveseniorliving.com\/news-events-blog\/stressed-thinking-about-retirement-how-to-look-on-the-bright-side-of-life\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Stressed Thinking about Retirement? How to Look on the Bright Side of Life\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"How do you plan to spend the rest of your life? Does this question inspire you to pull out a pen and paper so you can begin plotting? Or does the question make you want to hide under the bed sheets? I ...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/verveseniorliving.com\/news-events-blog\/stressed-thinking-about-retirement-how-to-look-on-the-bright-side-of-life\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Verve Senior Living Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2020-02-22T21:00:12+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2022-10-03T15:40:26+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"http:\/\/verveseniorliving.com\/news-events-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/41\/2019\/06\/Francine.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Bryan G\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Bryan G\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/verveseniorliving.com\\\/news-events-blog\\\/stressed-thinking-about-retirement-how-to-look-on-the-bright-side-of-life\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/verveseniorliving.com\\\/news-events-blog\\\/stressed-thinking-about-retirement-how-to-look-on-the-bright-side-of-life\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Bryan G\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/verveseniorliving.com\\\/news-events-blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/fb3fce3e29b50a9de2998b349b2272be\"},\"headline\":\"Stressed Thinking about Retirement? How to Look on the Bright Side of Life\",\"datePublished\":\"2020-02-22T21:00:12+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2022-10-03T15:40:26+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/verveseniorliving.com\\\/news-events-blog\\\/stressed-thinking-about-retirement-how-to-look-on-the-bright-side-of-life\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":762,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/verveseniorliving.com\\\/news-events-blog\\\/stressed-thinking-about-retirement-how-to-look-on-the-bright-side-of-life\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"http:\\\/\\\/verveseniorliving.com\\\/news-events-blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/41\\\/2019\\\/06\\\/Francine.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Residents' Stories\",\"Tips for Seniors\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/verveseniorliving.com\\\/news-events-blog\\\/stressed-thinking-about-retirement-how-to-look-on-the-bright-side-of-life\\\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/verveseniorliving.com\\\/news-events-blog\\\/stressed-thinking-about-retirement-how-to-look-on-the-bright-side-of-life\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/verveseniorliving.com\\\/news-events-blog\\\/stressed-thinking-about-retirement-how-to-look-on-the-bright-side-of-life\\\/\",\"name\":\"Stressed Thinking about Retirement? How to Look on the Bright Side of Life - Verve Senior Living Blog\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/verveseniorliving.com\\\/news-events-blog\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/verveseniorliving.com\\\/news-events-blog\\\/stressed-thinking-about-retirement-how-to-look-on-the-bright-side-of-life\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/verveseniorliving.com\\\/news-events-blog\\\/stressed-thinking-about-retirement-how-to-look-on-the-bright-side-of-life\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"http:\\\/\\\/verveseniorliving.com\\\/news-events-blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/41\\\/2019\\\/06\\\/Francine.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2020-02-22T21:00:12+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2022-10-03T15:40:26+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/verveseniorliving.com\\\/news-events-blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/fb3fce3e29b50a9de2998b349b2272be\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/verveseniorliving.com\\\/news-events-blog\\\/stressed-thinking-about-retirement-how-to-look-on-the-bright-side-of-life\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/verveseniorliving.com\\\/news-events-blog\\\/stressed-thinking-about-retirement-how-to-look-on-the-bright-side-of-life\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/verveseniorliving.com\\\/news-events-blog\\\/stressed-thinking-about-retirement-how-to-look-on-the-bright-side-of-life\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"http:\\\/\\\/verveseniorliving.com\\\/news-events-blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/41\\\/2019\\\/06\\\/Francine.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"http:\\\/\\\/verveseniorliving.com\\\/news-events-blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/41\\\/2019\\\/06\\\/Francine.jpg\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/verveseniorliving.com\\\/news-events-blog\\\/stressed-thinking-about-retirement-how-to-look-on-the-bright-side-of-life\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/verveseniorliving.com\\\/news-events-blog\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Stressed Thinking about Retirement? How to Look on the Bright Side of Life\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/verveseniorliving.com\\\/news-events-blog\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/verveseniorliving.com\\\/news-events-blog\\\/\",\"name\":\"Verve Senior Living Blog\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/verveseniorliving.com\\\/news-events-blog\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/verveseniorliving.com\\\/news-events-blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/fb3fce3e29b50a9de2998b349b2272be\",\"name\":\"Bryan G\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/64db0e81acb307e9937b2d846483def494c32a900368172f6ac854882fd07e93?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/64db0e81acb307e9937b2d846483def494c32a900368172f6ac854882fd07e93?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/64db0e81acb307e9937b2d846483def494c32a900368172f6ac854882fd07e93?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Bryan G\"},\"sameAs\":[\"http:\\\/\\\/verveseniorliving.com\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/verveseniorliving.com\\\/news-events-blog\\\/author\\\/mdp-admin\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Stressed Thinking about Retirement? How to Look on the Bright Side of Life - Verve Senior Living Blog","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/verveseniorliving.com\/news-events-blog\/stressed-thinking-about-retirement-how-to-look-on-the-bright-side-of-life\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Stressed Thinking about Retirement? How to Look on the Bright Side of Life","og_description":"How do you plan to spend the rest of your life? Does this question inspire you to pull out a pen and paper so you can begin plotting? Or does the question make you want to hide under the bed sheets? I ...","og_url":"https:\/\/verveseniorliving.com\/news-events-blog\/stressed-thinking-about-retirement-how-to-look-on-the-bright-side-of-life\/","og_site_name":"Verve Senior Living Blog","article_published_time":"2020-02-22T21:00:12+00:00","article_modified_time":"2022-10-03T15:40:26+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"http:\/\/verveseniorliving.com\/news-events-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/41\/2019\/06\/Francine.jpg","type":"","width":"","height":""}],"author":"Bryan G","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Bryan G","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/verveseniorliving.com\/news-events-blog\/stressed-thinking-about-retirement-how-to-look-on-the-bright-side-of-life\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/verveseniorliving.com\/news-events-blog\/stressed-thinking-about-retirement-how-to-look-on-the-bright-side-of-life\/"},"author":{"name":"Bryan G","@id":"https:\/\/verveseniorliving.com\/news-events-blog\/#\/schema\/person\/fb3fce3e29b50a9de2998b349b2272be"},"headline":"Stressed Thinking about Retirement? How to Look on the Bright Side of Life","datePublished":"2020-02-22T21:00:12+00:00","dateModified":"2022-10-03T15:40:26+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/verveseniorliving.com\/news-events-blog\/stressed-thinking-about-retirement-how-to-look-on-the-bright-side-of-life\/"},"wordCount":762,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/verveseniorliving.com\/news-events-blog\/stressed-thinking-about-retirement-how-to-look-on-the-bright-side-of-life\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"http:\/\/verveseniorliving.com\/news-events-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/41\/2019\/06\/Francine.jpg","articleSection":["Residents' Stories","Tips for Seniors"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/verveseniorliving.com\/news-events-blog\/stressed-thinking-about-retirement-how-to-look-on-the-bright-side-of-life\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/verveseniorliving.com\/news-events-blog\/stressed-thinking-about-retirement-how-to-look-on-the-bright-side-of-life\/","url":"https:\/\/verveseniorliving.com\/news-events-blog\/stressed-thinking-about-retirement-how-to-look-on-the-bright-side-of-life\/","name":"Stressed Thinking about Retirement? How to Look on the Bright Side of Life - Verve Senior Living Blog","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/verveseniorliving.com\/news-events-blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/verveseniorliving.com\/news-events-blog\/stressed-thinking-about-retirement-how-to-look-on-the-bright-side-of-life\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/verveseniorliving.com\/news-events-blog\/stressed-thinking-about-retirement-how-to-look-on-the-bright-side-of-life\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"http:\/\/verveseniorliving.com\/news-events-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/41\/2019\/06\/Francine.jpg","datePublished":"2020-02-22T21:00:12+00:00","dateModified":"2022-10-03T15:40:26+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/verveseniorliving.com\/news-events-blog\/#\/schema\/person\/fb3fce3e29b50a9de2998b349b2272be"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/verveseniorliving.com\/news-events-blog\/stressed-thinking-about-retirement-how-to-look-on-the-bright-side-of-life\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/verveseniorliving.com\/news-events-blog\/stressed-thinking-about-retirement-how-to-look-on-the-bright-side-of-life\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/verveseniorliving.com\/news-events-blog\/stressed-thinking-about-retirement-how-to-look-on-the-bright-side-of-life\/#primaryimage","url":"http:\/\/verveseniorliving.com\/news-events-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/41\/2019\/06\/Francine.jpg","contentUrl":"http:\/\/verveseniorliving.com\/news-events-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/41\/2019\/06\/Francine.jpg"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/verveseniorliving.com\/news-events-blog\/stressed-thinking-about-retirement-how-to-look-on-the-bright-side-of-life\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/verveseniorliving.com\/news-events-blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Stressed Thinking about Retirement? How to Look on the Bright Side of Life"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/verveseniorliving.com\/news-events-blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/verveseniorliving.com\/news-events-blog\/","name":"Verve Senior Living Blog","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/verveseniorliving.com\/news-events-blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/verveseniorliving.com\/news-events-blog\/#\/schema\/person\/fb3fce3e29b50a9de2998b349b2272be","name":"Bryan G","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/64db0e81acb307e9937b2d846483def494c32a900368172f6ac854882fd07e93?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/64db0e81acb307e9937b2d846483def494c32a900368172f6ac854882fd07e93?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/64db0e81acb307e9937b2d846483def494c32a900368172f6ac854882fd07e93?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Bryan G"},"sameAs":["http:\/\/verveseniorliving.com"],"url":"https:\/\/verveseniorliving.com\/news-events-blog\/author\/mdp-admin\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/verveseniorliving.com\/news-events-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1510","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/verveseniorliving.com\/news-events-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/verveseniorliving.com\/news-events-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/verveseniorliving.com\/news-events-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/verveseniorliving.com\/news-events-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1510"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/verveseniorliving.com\/news-events-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1510\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4292,"href":"https:\/\/verveseniorliving.com\/news-events-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1510\/revisions\/4292"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/verveseniorliving.com\/news-events-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1510"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/verveseniorliving.com\/news-events-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1510"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/verveseniorliving.com\/news-events-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1510"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}