How to Stay Connected During Your Retirement
While there were a number of long-term issues caused by the coronavirus pandemic, one of the least discussed problems revolved around loneliness and isolation.
Make no mistake; the levels of loneliness in the UK have increased since the spring of 2020, with approximately 2.6 million adults reporting to regularly or always feeling lonely. This figure increased to 3.7 million in the six months ending February 2021, with this accounting for 7.2% of the total adult population.
Of course, social isolation is even more problematic for older adults, especially those who have retired from the workplace. But how can retirees stay connected and avoid feelings of loneliness?
The Importance of a Good Social Life
Maintaining a good and active social network outside of the workplace is crucial to avoiding feelings of isolation in later life.
Building such a network also requires time and energy, and you’ll need an active social life that enables you to meet people and regularly interact with them.
Over time and regular social gatherings, you’ll build a close cohort of friends, form significant emotional attachments and create an effective support network that can help you during times of need.
If they’re of the same age and enjoy a similar lifestyle too, you can also avoid isolation and schedule regular activities to help keep you busy.
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When I reached the mall, I was still not feeling well, so I walked to the train station and purchased a ticket to Edinburgh, knowing that it was a short distance away. I was confused about my train terminal, so I approached a train station staff, who informed me that it was terminal 13. I sat there, but I still needed confirmation, so I asked the elderly lady seated next to me. She confirmed the information provided by the workers at the train station. However, after a few minutes, a train arrived at a different terminal, and the woman returned to tell me that this was my train. It was incredibly thoughtful and nice of her to seek out the correct information for me. I hurriedly boarded the train, but I immediately fell asleep due to my poor sleeping habits. The brief nap I took on that train was indeed beneficial. I was still asleep when the train stopped, but the lady sitting next to me woke me up and informed me that we had reached our destination. I thanked her and exited the train.
After arriving at the train station, I sat down and entered a restaurant called Prat a Manger, but the meal was too dry and flavorless. I was not impressed, and I believe that certain restaurants in Scotland or restaurants in general need to improve. I was unable to eat because I felt nauseated, so I stopped trying to force myself to eat. After a while, an elderly gentleman walked in, ordered this meal, and sat beside me. He remarked, "Excuse me, are you depressed?" "You look so sad and unhappy," I told him I was fine and just needed a little travel, and he provided me with some recommendations for places to visit in Edinburgh. He said goodbye as I left.
As I walked into the city it was cold outside, so I didn't want to pull out my phone to look for information. Instead, I just walked behind people who looked like tourists and followed their directions. The view of the city was beautiful, and I climbed long stairs and saw many beautiful sites. However, when I got to Edinburgh Castle, I was told that tickets were sold out for that day, so I didn't go inside. I did enjoy the view and sightseeing, though. Here are some photos from my first solo trip, which were both happy and sad. I hope you like it, and let me know if I'm a good photographer or if I can do better.
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What are vinyl records
In a nutshell, vinyl records are disks that store music. To play the music they need to be placed on a record player and once they rotate with a needle in place, the music starts to play. Typically, the needle runs inwards, starting from the outside edge. Vinyl versions of gramophone or phonograph records are made using polyvinyl chloride plastic, with engravings on each side. You often need to flip the record onto the other side to play the additional stored music.
What happened to vinyl records
As with many other day-to-day concepts, vinyl records were blown out of the water due to technological advancements. Similarly, the way we listen to music has changed over the years. The sheer quantity of music available to us now is almost overwhelming – and it changes in the blink of an eye, with new tracks knocking old ones from the top spot on a weekly basis in the charts. The concept of listening to a single album from start to finish isn’t on the agenda for many of us these days, with so many other distractions on the cards.
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The 6 stages of vehicle autonomy – While fully autonomous vehicles may not be readily available in your local car showroom, it’s certainly possible to pick up a motor that displays a degree of automation, whether that be through the use of driver assistance systems or the application of basic driving tasks, albeit under human supervision:
No Automation (0) - As with traditional cars, these vehicles are fully manual and reliant on a human driver for all driving tasks such as steering, braking, and accelerating. Manual vehicles are likely to disappear in the coming years as we move towards the zero-emission target.
Driver Assistance (1) - A car with in-built driver assistance will usually feature a single automated system, such as cruise control and speed monitoring. A human driver will still retain the majority of control.
Partial Automation (2) - Partially automated vehicles feature more Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) in which the car itself is capable of performing driving tasks such as steering and acceleration. A human driver is still required to monitor all tasks and can override the controls at any point.
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The hair type system developed by Oprah Winfrey’s stylist, Andre Walker, is a good system to use. It breaks hair down into grades 1-4, with 1 being the least curly (straight) and 4 being the curliest (coils). Subcategories A-C indicates the width of the strands.
Air drying – is it better?
Many people swear by leaving their wet hair to dry naturally instead of using a hair dryer. While it’s true that the heat from hair products can sometimes be excessive, it’s not that straightforward.
This is because wet hair is more elastic and vulnerable. Leaving the hair wet can cause hygral fatigue (excessive swelling), according to trichologist Stephanie Sey.
A better solution is to use a heat-protective spray and then set your hair dryer to a low setting. As the hair gets progressively dryer, you can gradually increase the heat. If you want to take extra precautions, shop for a hairdryer with in-built technology for damage prevention.
A Legal System Slow to Change
As illustrated by barrister Dr Charlotte Proudman, in her piece for The Independent, changes to UK law in relation to crimes that disproportionately affect women have been excruciatingly slow; marital rape was not recognised as a crime until as recently as 1992, while coercive control – an insidious form of family or relationship abuse that can see the lives of women limited significantly – was only criminalised in 2015.
Indeed, the criminalisation of coercive control was a key driver behind the quashing of abuse victim Sally Challen’s murder charge. Without the eventual recognition of coercive control, Challen would have served life – and if the legal system was quicker evolved, she may not have spent the 9 years she did behind bars. This is an extreme example, but one that illustrates a wider issue impacting the proper litigation of everything from discrimination to high-profile criminal cases.
Impact on Victims – and Potential for Revictimisation
Naturally, the slow uptake of necessary revisions to UK law in this way has had corresponding impacts on victims, whether discriminatory behaviour or violent crime based on their gender. Trust in the legal system is low, and victims of discrimination are less likely to come forward as a result.
Not only is this the case, but there are also occasions in which victims readily open themselves up to scrutiny in court and fall victim to further discrimination; barrister negligence claims usually concern the giving of inappropriate or illegal advice concerning civil claims, a subset of which is the advice on civil disputes regarding gender discrimination.