Men and women are social creatures by nature. You crave interaction with like-minded people with whom you develop deep and lasting friendships. This is especially important in your retirement years when you no longer enjoy the company of your workmates and the occasional “off-campus” social gatherings where you could let your hair down. This is one of the major reasons why so many people flock to retirement communities once they’ve exited the workforce.
Yet there are those who, come hell or high water, will refuse to leave the family home they’ve been living in for decades. After all, it’s the place where they raised a family and created so many long-lasting, fond memories.
In fact, if you are one of these homebodies, it pays to investigate a reverse mortgage. Says the professionals at All Reverse Mortgage, Inc., if you qualify for a reverse mortgage, you can potentially receive loan proceeds in the hundreds of thousands of dollars.
You never need to repay a mortgage again, and you don’t have to repay the loan until you decide to move or die. You can find out how much of a loan you qualify for by visiting ARLO’s online calculator.
But what if you’re the kind of person who wants to belong to a community once you retire? How can you benefit from it in your golden years?
According to a recent report by Happiness.com, human beings are not engineered to be alone all the time. Connecting with a community is said to be of paramount importance to your physical and emotional well-being. Retirement communities in the 2020s are engineered around shared interests, such as professional associations, neighborhoods, spiritual and religious groups, and sports clubs.
You develop a stronger sense of collective and personal identity by joining a community. It will also boost your self-esteem at a time when your body is no longer functioning as efficiently as it once did.
Here are other benefits of living in a retirement community in your golden years.
Safety and Support
During the dreadful COVID pandemic, uncertainty became the norm. This meant that having a strong support network was key in helping you get through the crisis. Community is important since it helps relieve feelings of loneliness and helplessness that make you uncertain. You feel that there is safety and security in numbers.
Belonging and Connecting
As a human being, you crave togetherness and the feeling that you are an important part of something bigger. This gives more meaning to your life. Interacting with other people who enjoy the same interests, world views, and values will always remind you that you are isolated and not alone in the world. By belonging to a community, you can have an easier time of coping with those nasty negative feelings that pop up now and again.
Positive Influence
Retirement communities can provide you with friends who will make sure you don’t get into unhealthy habits. Never underestimate the positive influence of like-minded folks always looking out for your best interest. Studies have illustrated that your overall health is determined in part by your ability to look after yourself, but on occasion, don’t feel up to the task for one reason or another. A community will help motivate you when you need it most.
Sharing is Caring
Says Happiness.com, sharing feelings, ideas, and activities reinforces your sense of self. It also adds value and worth to the community at large. The more you share, the more you care. This is a major benefit to your mental health. Sharing with your community will provide positive emotions, higher engagement, and a sense of empowerment.
Keep Learning
Maybe retirement communities are designed and constructed around common interests, but that doesn’t mean they are entirely homogenous. You will always find people with differing viewpoints, beliefs, experiences, and dreams. You can learn from them and be exposed to ideas you would never learn if you were living all by yourself.
A Feeling of Acceptance
Developing those all-important community bonds with people with different views can be challenging if you are entirely set in your ways. But by living in a community, you almost have no choice but to open yourself up to accepting others as they are. In turn, they must accept you too. You don’t need to agree on everything. In fact, you can happily agree to disagree. But your friendly discussions will be fun, thought-provoking, and educational. Retirement can be a wonderful time for enjoying new challenges and making new friends. This is especially true if you join a retirement community. You can enjoy the security of knowing you’re never alone and treat yourself to activities and social gatherings you will otherwise miss out on if you insist on living alone.
