Every morning, you wake up without having to rush for your work. With a smile on your face, you kiss your beloved spouse good morning. Both of you head out to the kitchen to prepare a healthy and tasty breakfast. You have with you bacon, eggs, toast, and a cup of coffee. You head outside for a 5-minute morning exercise. Things seem to be going your way. But then a flash or reality strikes.

You do not want to get up in the morning knowing that nobody will help you prepare breakfast. Your spouse already passed away and you are all alone taking care of yourself. What about breakfast? You will just microwave that thing you bought in the grocery store. Wait, do you still have food in your fridge?

If you relate to the second scenario, then we are sorry to tell you but you have been retiring the wrong way. Harmony Residential Care Center lists 6 ways you should retire to keep your mind from worrying and your body from compensating.

1. Consider your supplies
   We are not only talking about food here but your resources as a whole. What do you need in the future? Do you have a place where you can stay? What about your finances? Are they enough for you to settle in?

2. Get active
   One way to beat depression is to exercise. It increases your good hormones and keeps the bad ones at bay. Keeping away from depression does not only help you emotionally but also physically.

   Elders who are less likely to get depressed are healthier and more active. They tend to do the things they have wanted to do their entire life. They have more time and have seen and held their grandkids in their arms. They have lived to fulfill their unfinished dreams.

3. Give yourself a break
   Retiring is not an overnight process. You have certain emotions you are feeling. What will happen to me from now on? Who will be there to help me with the chores around the house? Where will I stay when I retire? All these are normal feelings and yes, you should be asking those questions at the same time.

   That is why you need to give yourself a break. Figure out what you want to do during your retirement. Look ahead on what you may need in the future.

4. Keep in touch with friends
   It has been found out in studies that people who maintain their friendships well into their old age reduce their stress levels. And what is the biggest regret a person in their deathbed has? It is not keeping in touch with their friends.

   Be sure to connect with your friends regularly. Ask them how they have been. Keep up with each other’s lives. You can also join groups or even take classes. Go out of your house and find new friends.

5. Prepare yourself psychologically
   We already have our finances secured. Now what? After preparing our finances and making sure you will be stable through the years, you need to build yourself psychologically.

   What will become of you when you retire? How do you identify yourself with? What about your relationship status with friends and family members? What is your new sense of purpose?

   To help you with that predicament, imagine making yourself a new business card. What will you put in there? Do you want to be a traveler? How about a musician or a gardener? After figuring out your whole identity, build a new routine.

6. Seek help
   If you have done everything and noticed that retirement is keeping you from doing the things you love and meeting the people you want to meet, it is about time to seek help.

   You do not have to pressure yourself on staying in your house when you cannot keep up with the demands of old age.

   You can stay with us and be cared for in Harmony Residential Care Center’s Residential Care Center in Ware Shoals Manor SC. Here, we help our residents settle down during their retirement.