Matt - Your Better Retirement

Why You Can Feel Lonely Even If You’re Not Alone

Introduction: “But I’m Not Actually Alone…”

I guess when we think of loneliness, we can believe that loneliness stems from not being around people. Being on our own. This, certainly, can be the case, but have you considered that you can also be lonely even in the company of others?

Loneliness in retirement can be confusing. You may have a partner, family close by and friendly neighbours. All looking good then. So when a quiet sense of loneliness starts to drift in, it can feel confusing, perhaps uncomfortable. Yet, feeling lonely in retirement, even when you are not physically alone, is far more common than people realise. So why might this be the case? Usually, it is because something important has shifted – and your inner world is trying to get your attention. Let’s look at this in more detail, and importantly, develop some solutions to deal with this.

The Decluttering Detox Challenge

Okay, here we go. It’s time to let our hair down a bit. I talk a lot on this website about important matters: identity, purpose, meaning, social connections and more. Vital stuff, of course. But every now and again, I feel the urge to lighten things up a little. After all, we need to strike that balance in life. Yes, let’s work on our well-being in retirement, but let’s have some fun along the way.

How Couples Can Navigate Retirement Together – Planning & Harmony in Later Life

A happy senior couple holds hands while walking along a sunny beach in Portugal, enjoying a romantic moment.

As retirement becomes a longer and more complex chapter of life, many couples are discovering that this new freedom also brings new challenges. Recent UK divorce trends highlight the importance of staying connected during this transition. While overall divorce rates have fallen in the past two decades, separations amongst adults aged 60 and over have risen sharply, with the number of later-life divorces doubling since the early 1990s. Today, around 3 in 10 divorces involve someone over 50, and projections suggest this may increase further.

These shifts signal a simple truth: thriving in retirement isn’t just about good finances, important though that is. It’s also about nurturing, harmony, good communication and having a shared purpose. In this post, we will explore practical ways couples can plan and adapt as they navigate retirement together.

How to Find Motivation in Retirement: 5 Gentle Psychological Strategies to Help You Get Things Done – Part 1.

Senior man playing an acoustic guitar on a wooden dock by a calm lake, enjoying nature.

Retirement brings freedom from deadlines and routines, but many of us discover that without structure, it can be harder than expected to feel motivated and engaged. If you’re wondering how to stay motivated after retiring, you’re not alone. In this article, we explore proven psychological techniques — from habit-stacking and self-talk (my favourite psychological strategy hands down) to identity shifts and curiosity-driven routines — to help you rediscover purpose, build momentum in your days, and feel excited about what you can do next in your life.

How To Build New Friendships Later in Life.

Finding Connection, Confidence, and Companionship When You’re Starting from Scratch.

When Friendship Feels Far Away

It can be an unsettling moment: you reach retirement and realise the social circle you once had has quietly faded. The colleagues you laughed with every day are still working, the children have flown the nest, neighbours are keeping themselves busy, and some dear friends are sadly no longer around.

The Joy of Doing the Unexpected. Part 1

Senior man enjoying skateboarding on a quiet, tree-lined street during the day.

We often think of retirement as a time of slowing down, but for some in life, it can become the complete opposite – a time, perhaps, where societal rules no longer apply. Across the world, people in their 60s, 70s, 80s and older are proving age is no barrier to doing something – well, a little unexpected, shall we say. Not for them sitting back and watching daytime television, or decluttering the cupboard under the stairs. They want a little bit more out of life. From DJing in nightclubs through to transforming a garden into a mini wild-west town, these individuals are bucking the rules that we can sometimes fall into the trap of setting for ourselves.

Before It’s Too Late: Lessons for a Life Well Lived.

This post is inspired by the wisdom shown in Bronnie Ware’s book ‘The Top Five Regrets of the Dying’, published in 2011. For those who may not have come across this individual before, Bronnie Ware is an Australian author and motivational speaker. She used to write a blog where she recorded the dying epiphanies of her patients. This blog garnered a lot of attention, so much so that she decided to put her findings into a book – hence ‘The Top Five Regrets of the Dying’ was born.

Why Rest is Just as Important as Purpose in Retirement

Adorable ginger cat peacefully sleeps in a soft, fluffy basket indoors.

I talk a lot on this website about finding purpose, carrying out meaningful activities and connecting with others during our post-work life. And all for good reason. I believe (as research also shows) that if we want to retain good mental health and wellbeing, we need to find value in what we do and feel that we are contributing, whether that’s within our family unit, or indeed externally within our community or even wider. If, however, we lived a life such as this for 16 awake hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year…mmm…I think we might start to get a little bit of burnout going on. So, as much as an active and meaningful way of spending time is important, we also mustn’t ignore that we need a sense of balance – we also need to chill and rest.

The Power Of Gratitude in Retirement: How Appreciating Life Can Transform Your Later Years

valentines day background, people, holding hands, sunset, man, woman, landscape, outdoors, nature, sunlight, couple, together, relationship, lovers, silhouettes

Gratitude. A word we no doubt have all heard of, but what does it mean? Gratitude is simply the practice of noticing and appreciating the good things in life – big or small. It’s not about pretending there are no difficulties in life or that everything is perfect – it’s about recognising that even when the going gets tough (like it did for Billy Ocean), there are moments, people or experiences worth valuing. Gratitude can shift our attention away from what we lack to what we already have which can boost happiness, reduce stress and even improve physical health.

The Link Between Nature and Retirement Wellbeing

Couple in winter coats enjoy a snowy forest view sitting on railroad tracks.

A very basic google search tells me that, on average, us humans spend around 90% of our time indoors. Wow. This figure seems to be widely reported, and stems from The National Human Activity Pattern Survey (NHAPS). It reports that people spend 87% of their time in enclosed buildings, and 6% in vehicles. What are lot of our lifetime we spend in an enclosed space.