An Introverted Retirement
A quarter of folks are introverts, and they retire.
I’m one of them, and to the retired introvert, it all comes down to quality over quantity.
What is an Introvert?
Unfortunately, the world belongs to extroverts. They are social and derive their energy from being around other people. Introverts need to be by themselves to recharge.
Retirement for introverts can be rewarding, pleasurable, and fun.
The key is to set up your time correctly.
Time for Introverts
Time is either slow when overthinking or fast when you numb or live the days on autopilot.
Introverts need to plan time to care for themselves. Since the characteristic that defines an introvert is their need to be alone to recharge, taking care of themselves means being alone.
This is key for introverts: It is okay to be alone. There is no loneliness when introverts are alone. As long as we spend time on ourselves, we can do just fine in the extrovert’s world.
Retirement is a transition marred by a paucity of opportunities for social interaction, especially in an introverted retirement.
Choose when serendipity strikes and put a time limit on the most chaos-inducing events in your life (and have an escape route), it is ok to shine when you are in the arena.
Be yourself and don’t pay attention to the self-critical voice in your head. Don’t react. Instead, feel it. Get curious. Breathe.
While some fear the loss of companionship that retirement brings, the retired introvert happily leaves behind the constant bombardment of people.
Retirement Schedule for Introverts
Introverts have large open chunks on their calendar. A good retirement schedule for introverts include a couple scheduled social interactions a week. And schedule exercise. Don’t feel guilty saying no to things you don’t want to do. Instead, schedule positivity.
Introverts need never feel guilty. Have a short-term purpose to add value to your interactions. Know your worst outcomes and understand that at some point you’d rather be home reading a book.
No Judgement; just do a little better every day.
Introvert Retirement: Quality over Quantity
The introverted retiree focuses on the quality of relationships rather than quantity. And quality activities.
In a dog-eat-dog world, introverts need to dig deep to find fulfillment. Being happy is a choice and hard work. But what is the alternative?
When it comes to quality time, whether alone or with friends, the introvert values quality over quantity.
