Many of us associate retirement with well-deserved rest and relaxation after decades of working. With newfound time and freedom, it’s common for people to want to travel at their leisure, spend more time with family and friends, and pursue different hobbies and passions.

But retirement can also be a transition away from our routines and even our sense of identity, and it’s not unusual for people to end up feeling adrift and isolated. 

That’s perhaps why a growing number of older Americans are going back to work after they retire — some are even launching new careers. 

Welcome to un-retirement

According to a Pew Research Center report, one in five Americans age 65 and older were employed in 2023. In addition, they were:

• More likely to be self employed than workers ages 25 to 64
• Generally healthier than older workers in the past
• More likely to say they find work enjoyable and less likely to say it’s stressful

Certainly, some retirees need to keep working for financial reasons. For others, physical limitations or caregiving and family obligations may keep them from being able or wanting to start a new job or career. 

“Building and maintaining social connections is one of the most important parts of retirement. Whether it’s volunteering, joining a group, or picking up a new hobby, staying engaged helps you feel connected and cognitively sharp,” says Bill Harlan, vice president of behavioral health and health engagement at Point32Health, the parent company of Tufts Health Plan. “It’s just as important to plan how you’ll spend your time in retirement as it is to plan financially.”

A photographer and a fiction author

Bill Carito and Barbara Ross both found meaningful post-retirement careers by exploring their interests and pursuing their passions.

Before they retired, Carito and Ross worked in political consulting and educational technology startups, respectively. The couple now splits their time between Maine and Florida, where Carito teaches iPhone photography workshops and enters his work in exhibitions. Last year, Ross released the final book in her series of 12 fiction novels, the “Maine Clambake Mysteries.”

Carito says that he’s always been the family photographer — the one who brought the camera along to capture snapshots during events, holidays, and vacations. “I wasn’t looking to take photographs that presented a point of view or a vision or anything like that,” he explains.

Ross helped change that. She gifted Carito a spot in an iPhone photography class, which opened up a whole new avenue for how he approached taking pictures.

That first class lit a spark, and Carito soon enrolled in other courses. He delved into books, developed his skills, and gained enough confidence to start entering his work in competitions, which earned him awards and raised his profile. Carito eventually set up an online gallery and now teaches iPhone photography at both the University of Southern Maine’s Osher Lifelong Learning Institute and the Studios of Key West, where he hopes to return the favor of inspiration. 

“I feel like if I can open that world up to even one or two of the people that take the class, then I’ve done what I should be doing,” Carito notes.

Even as a busy parent and technology executive, Ross made time for her own interests as a regular member of a writers’ group. She wrote her first novel in the mid-90s when she took a couple of years off from her job.

“I got an agent very quickly and easily, but the book didn’t sell. I put it in a drawer and that was that,” she says.

Ross knew very clearly what she wanted to do when she retired. When the last company she worked for sold in 2010, she knew it was the right time to leave the corporate world behind. Since then, Ross has published several short stories, six novellas, and three novels, in addition to her “Maine Clambake” series.

While she considered herself a team player in startup environments, Ross relished the opportunity to create characters, plot lines, and stories that were all her own. 

“When it came to writing, I wanted it to be just me making decisions,” she says. “But getting published requires community support. And post retirement, it’s been wonderful to have a way to make friends and have a network of like-minded people around you.”

And much like Ross helped contribute to her husband’s blossoming photography career with the gift of a class, Carito — who also happens to be an excellent cook — has helped his wife by contributing seafood recipes to each of her “Maine Clambake Mysteries” novels.

Let curiosity be your guide

You certainly don’t need remarkable post-retirement career achievements to reap the benefits of re-entering the workforce or discovering new interests. See what courses a nearby high school or community college has to offer. Check out programs at a senior center or a library near you. 

Even if it’s learning a new way to cook, joining a book club, or taking up a craft, the key is staying engaged mentally and fostering new connections.

“Retirement can be a great time to explore and discover,” says Harlan. “Keeping connected and engaged with other people is incredibly beneficial for your mental and emotional well-being. These can be great ways to prevent loneliness and depression and help enhance your sense of purpose and belonging.”

Comfort zones are real, though — and they can be tough to break out of. 

“Be willing to explore some of the things that make you scared,” Carito says. “I used to take the photographs in the family, but I certainly wasn’t an artist. Learning was fun first, and I think that was important. I began to realize I had an eye; it wasn’t natural, but it was something that could be developed.”

And Ross offers a reminder that in retirement, there’s no time like the present.

“Particularly if you’re still healthy and able to do a lot of things, retirement is really that opportunity to follow a thread that interests you and fulfill some of things you wished you could do if you had the time,” she says.

Tufts Health Plan, a Point32Health company, is a local nonprofit organization that offers health plans for every stage of life. With a commitment to personal service, Tufts Health Plan provides quality coverage and dedicated support to help guide and empower healthier lives.