Remember, money is emotional.  It can bring out the best in you if you have no financial worries, or it can cause prolonged depression, shame, guilt, and generally make you miserable everyday if you are struggling to meet your monetary commitments.  That being said, happiness is a state of mind, and thankfully it is one that you get to choose to be in every day when you get up in the morning.  Your perception of your life is the key.  I guess I am asking, are you a pessimist or an optimist?   The later, being the number one trait of the happiest people worldwide and especially those in retirement.

Here are the top five things that will help build your longevity strategy in retirement.

1. Sleep:  ensure your body gets a good night of restorative sleep to heal properly.
2. Exercise:  regular exercise helps every part of your body including your mind.
3. Human Connection:  get out of the social media “bacterial cloud” and connect with real people (but be COVID friendly).
4. Manage Your Stress:  be at peace with your life and your situation.
5. Drop the Crutches:  just like you need a financial planner for your money, get professional help for your body.  Make an effort to reduce or stop smoking, overeating, alcohol and refined sugar consumption, excessive prescription and recreational drugs, you get the idea.  As Spock says, we should all want to “live long and prosper.”

Christine’s Tip:

Your mind is a powerful tool, so I want you to use it to make things better.  The mental baggage of the past – things you should ‘of done but didn’t; let it go – yes, it is part of you and always will be, let’s leave it in the past and do things different this year.  Your body wants to heal itself.  It wants to be in better health, be thin, be flexible, be fit; however, a lot of times it is our mind’s favourite habits that force us to make our bodies unhealthy.  I am not talking about those that have real disabilities and life-threatening diseases, but this is for the rest of us who continue to take advantage of our health by refusing to “create an aggressive health planning strategy.”  Smoking, drinking, being sedentary, these are the killers to your future happiness and longevity.