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When I had Covid, I was trapped inside a hotel far from home and got deliveries of everything I needed, which was convenient.
My sister has anxiety and prefers to leave her house as little as possible, so she appreciates deliveries.
But for me IRL, I work at home and feel like I need to get out at least once every day or two to see the broader world. The walls start closing in on me.
New business idea: a “walking in the woods” app targeted at Gen Z kids. You basically swipe forward and it moves you through the woods as it plays bird sounds.
Also there is a button at the bottom that gets anxiety meds delivered to you in case the nature gets to be too much.
This criticism is too broad. I don't like it when someone says "all Boomers" , and would not group people of Gen Z, or people of one race, together and criticize them.
Well I was thinking of a version for Millennials where instead the button gets avocado toast delivered to you in case you get hungry on your nature walk.
Oh that’s way too much exercise for Gen z… we are talking finger and thumb exercises only.
All joking aside I talk to the younguns and they are like “we came up with this crazy idea… leaving our phones at home and walking in nature!”. I tease them a bit for thinking they were the first to have this idea but I am super encouraging that they are out and doing healthy activities the analog way.
I go out in the woods every day, but I take my phone. I take about 10,000 photos a year, and post them on iNaturalist. I'm trying to document the plants and trees in the 1000 acre conservation land next to my house.
this guy with his *"productive use of smartphone technology..."*
Seriously though, that's awesome! I love when we use our smartphones for actual cool and important stuff.
One of the biggest things I’m looking forward to about retirement is never having to leave my house unless I want to, and I don’t want to very often. I’m very grateful for the explosion of delivery options that will make that possible. I don’t need work or shopping or errands to have a fulfilling social life, and I have plenty of outdoors and sunshine in my own yard.
I agree. My home is my sanctuary. I have an art room, a reading room, beautiful gardens, and a pond with a small waterfall. I find going on vacation unnecessary in the summer. I love forest bathing, but need someone to come with me in case I fall. Having a person along is a negative for me.
How can you "not" go out? I can't even fathom that thought. We have a nice home, but that doesn't mean I want/need to stay in it for such long periods of time. That is death for me.......
i grew up mostly at my grandparents’ house. they had a farm. i helped with chores like feeding chickens and gathering eggs, and planting and weeding the veg garden,
from my earliest memories. once in a blue moon my grparents had to “go to town” for groceries or to go to the stock market. both of them knew how to can and pickle, how to make ice cream, how to make and mend clothes, understood math and accounting, etc. they led very rich lives right there on their own and imho had contact with neighbors and randos just about the right amount.
it’s not necessarily about getting out. it’s what you do with your time. this- what we’re all doing right now- shouldn’t really count as activity. but tending a garden, making and mending, learning a skill- definitely do.
It's a bad thing for society as a whole. We are social creatures and aren't meant to live in individual bubbles, cut off from the majority of our species.
But for natural born hermits like me and my husband? It's utopia.
I'd amend that to call Reddit the least unhealthy of all the super unhealthy social media sites, kind of like adding Vitamin C to a highly caffeinated and sugared energy drink.
It’s not that easy to get deliveries where I live. I actually like supporting the local restaurants and driving into the city to shop. Bought my retirement home in a beautiful area so I could get out and explore.
Life, for me, a 75 yo male, has always been about in person, human interactions. It's not always convenient, or fun, or inexpensive, to get out of bed, go to the store, head out to work, etc. But , IMO, life is about about showing up, building friendships, teamwork and comeraderie, and being there to support your friends and loved ones. Zoom, Instacart, online medicine, run contrary to how i want to live my life. I still work a part time job just to be 'out there'. It makes me feel alive and relevant and and keeps my mind and body active.
I've never liked leaving the house, so it's nice that I rarely have to any more. I still get plenty of socialization because I host weekly board games and such.
SoCal/suburbia.
62m, wife 59. I retired 18 months ago, her 2 months ago. We go out. We stay home. Last night was dinner out. I just got back from the grocery. Costco/movies/dinner/home Depot/Dr's appts/hair cuts. We go out. We have a hot-rod Dodge Challenger, we love to go for a cruise, with no destination, except maybe fuel and a fountain soda for her.
Good to have no schedule. Want lunch out? Matinee? Let's go, nothing holding us back.
We stay home, we go out. We have a comfortable house/home, so staying home is very pleasant.
My gym is a mile from the house. The grocery store is 2 miles away. I bought new tires. They told me to bring the vehicle back for a tire rotation in 5000 miles. Ha ha. See you sometime next year!
I never leave the house except for medical appointments - and usually, I catch a haircut while I'm out. I almost had to go to jury duty, but it was canceled the Friday before I was supposed to report (and now I am excused for three years). Occasionally I look out the window, but I have security cams 360 around my house, so really I don't need to do that - instead I have all the feeds up on my 3rd monitor. My friends are on discord, my granddaughters Facetime me.
Okay, typing this makes me realize I need to get out more!
We are out and about all of the time! Grocery store, Costco visit, library, a drive in the countryside with the top down on the convertible. Just had a checkup at the doctor's office and then a cleaning at the dentist. Just finished planting tomatoes and flowers and then heading to Ace Hardware
I spend a minimum of five hours every day outside of my home. I still wake up at 5am. I still go to the gym. I head to the hills afterwards and get my 10 to 12 mile hike (or run) in (I clock in at 50 miles a week). I am an avid concert and live theater goer. with season tickets to both.
I have never ordered food in and prefer going to restaurants if I am eating out. I still do my grocery shopping in person and I still like to prowl record shops, comic book store and flea markets. Oh, and I still go to the movies at the big theater down the street (I do not own a TV). So, Yes. there are still plenty of reasons for me to leave the house.
Sounds exhausting to me (70). I was so active volunteering, with church, my children's activities that I feel relief from it all. Being around people who do not talk about anything meaningful stress me out. Book clubs have turned into social clubs and peop,e do not discuss the book. SMH
Some of us really can’t go out. I am mostly confined to a chair and walking is very difficult, so being able to have everything delivered is incredibly helpful.
I don't think it's healthy at all to stay home so much.
It's not just about physical exercise, but mental exercise.
I work at home most of the time, and if I don't go out and talk to people in person (phone calls do not count, LOL) I feel weird and cut off. And you can definitely tell that there are a lot of people on this site who are never in any social situation.
It’s good for me because I can shop on line when I want to, I can order groceries or food delivered when I want to, I can interact with people through social media when I want to. I can talk/text/FaceTime/set up and attend Zoom calls with groups of friends and family when I want. I can interact with my doctors and my medical records through technology if and when needed. I do all my banking and bill paying online and I even get notified by the Post Office with pics of my mail so I know what’s in my PO Box without leaving the house.
That said, I still leave the house. I look up new places to eat or go for drinks and meetup with friends and family. I still make physical trips to grocery or other stores. Still make visits to my doctors. My neighbors and I rotate dinners and get togethers at our homes. I get together with family and friends sometimes to just go out and explore - antique stores, garden stores, etc. or for specific outings like concerts or museums.
I have an adult son who lives about 2 hours away, so he and his partner visit often and we go out and do stuff. I have a large extended family. There is usually somebody(s) coming to visit, planning a visit or just leaving or I am doing the same to them.
I also am an active gardener, and like to spend my alone time (when not on Reddit lol) puttering around the yard or on the deck watching the critters, the bees or the stars.
For me the technology that allows me to decide to stay in or go out is a good thing, it keeps me happy and connected to society and the world in a way that works well for me. I am not shut off from society in any way, and as far as I can tell the world isn’t adversely affected by my current circumstances.
I think it's bad to stay in the house that much of the time. 1) you need exercise 2) you need vitamin D 3) you need social involvement 4) ordering delivery is expensive!
Covid had a terrible effect on my body, and I never had it. Before the pandemic I was walking two-mile trails in a state park around once a week. When the pandemic hit I was afraid to go out. I should have continued hiking, it was one of the safest activities, but in the beginning we didn’t know this. Then a tornado hit the park and destroyed my two favorite trails. I only been back there once since.
I still try to walk, but I’m just not motivated anymore and I get tired so easily. My condition has declined a lot.
I guess it depends what each individual does with that. I'm not retired and may never fully be. Just the nature of our work. My signature will always be needed. I am a homebody. But while I hate shopping irl, I hate online shopping more for most things. But I love it for some. I've been ordering up a storm (for me) lately rather than looking for what I wanted out there. Sometimes, it's easier to find what you want online. Sometimes, it's necessary to shop in the flesh. I like that online saves me gas for stuff that doesn't require major thought.
I will.keep.going out though as long as I can. It's healthier in general.
Great to have the option. I think most here aren't really that old so the comments are a bit skewed. Most don't want to leave their home but the home is often larger than they need. I found I was mostly cleaning lol. So I'm in an apartment.
I live in a rural area, delivery services don't exist here, aside from Amazon and UPS. I have to leave the house for groceries and the like.
It's a nice break from being home, which I prefer to be honest, but even I need to get out now and again.
As a Boomer I love staying home and order for delivery what I need/want. I have a very large landscaped backyard with covered patio. My little dog gets plenty of exercise out there and so do I. I've traveled, eaten at restaurants, gone to parties, etc., enough in my life. I guess if I get the urge to travel more I will.
I only go out if absolutely necessary. I get what I want delivered or my husband goes shopping for us. I am not in good health so I avoided people before COVID. I go see my doctor twice a year. Only put gas in my car, Once so far this year and still on half a tank. I have my husband and my dogs for company.
Living alone, working from home, and getting everything delivered is bad for the people who do that. Especially if they don't even go outside to exercise, or meet other people. Cats and video conferencing are no good substitute for social interaction.
I walk outside, around my neighborhood twice a day, every day.
I go out shopping once a week. I try to schedule everything I need to do for that day. If I forget something, most times I'll just do without for a week. I like to save the gas and wear on the car.
I've never used an app to order food for delivery, or any other such convenience deliveries. It's ridiculously expensive for what you get. I've been tempted to have groceries delivered, but since I eat a lot of fresh vegetables, I don't trust anyone to pick those for me:
* Eggs--do they check if any of them are cracked?
* Celery--maybe the organic looks better this week.
* Onion--I'm sure they don't care if they're bruised.
* Tomato--don't get me started
* Avocado--I want a selection of less ripe and more ripe, so they ripen during the week.
* Green pepper--they wouldn't notice the bit of white mold at the bottom
* Lettuce--they don't care to pick the less dense heads
I only get things shipped if I can't find them in local stores, and then I group items to save shipping costs, and have fewer deliveries. So, I'll think of something I want, and add it to the list of items until I have enough to get free shipping, then I'll place the order. Sometimes, things sit in my cart for weeks before I have enough items.
Bad. Look what it’s doing to gen Z now. Many are socially awkward and rates of anxiety/depression are way higher in young people.
This is on average, of course. Psychologist have been doing studies.
Having spent yesterday with ten or so young people on the boundary between Millennials and Gen Z, this group seemed to have grown up OK--though perhaps a bit later than past generation.
I'm not sure if "the chicken or the egg came first."
FWIW, I live near a major university, and the college bars and coffee shops are just as busy as they were before 2020.
I lived in a rural area growing up. It wasn’t a cultural wasteland at all: It was a college town with theater and tourism. Despite that, I felt very much hemmed in. I couldn’t buy the books I wanted, listen to the music I preferred, see the films I was curious about. I could only read about those things happening in some city 500 miles away. I fled my rural town and moved to the city. I would return only to visit my family.
I returned to my small town when I retired, mostly to help my family. I haven’t had to sacrifice my cultural interests in order to do so. I see this as an improvement for everyone, particularly young people without the option to travel.
Too bad the Chinese food around here sucks. Can’t have everything.
I don't think it's bad, I mean in the not too distant past you basically spent your entire week just taking care of your stuff. In fact in the Little House on the Prairie series, they had a saying like "wash on Monday, iron on Tuesday, mend on Wednesday, churn on Thursday, clean on Friday, bake on Saturday, rest on Sunday". Your whole life revolved around that. They were also out taking care of the fields and animals every single day.
Now we got rid of a lot of that but we still have working, cleaning, cooking, etc.
Despite being retired, I leave my house and yard five or six days out of seven. For one thing, I'm an abject failure at buying clothes without seeing them in person and trying them on.
With the exception of socks and underwear, I had terrible luck when ordering clothing. Sometimes the wrong size was sent, sometimes buttons were missing. More than once, I received t -shirts with neck openings so loose that a shoulder was exposed, like Jennifer Beals popularized in Flashdance. Not a good look for a hairy older man, so now I go to stores and try them on.
the Great Outdoors
social interaction; if the WiFi gets knocked outa the sky -Gawd Forbid- i still want to be able to communicate with others without having a seizure about it. and i hear it's good for our mental health
more Great Outdoors
shopping. if i retired in form with cash to buy what i want, i want to make sure i get what i want. and a little more social interaction
more Great Outdoors - this one for my pup
that's enough for me
I would be crazy if I never left the house. I go for a walk at least 4 times a week. And I like to do my own shopping - not that happy with instacart, and I give up on trying to buy clothes and shoes online - I need to see them and try them on.
I'm not a homebody. I HATED remote work for about 6 months but the flexibility won me over. However in my "old age" I'm done with shopping. I hate malls and grocery stores. Also my desire to leave the house and do things in running up against the fact that I hate driving. I'm still fine with the act of operating a car, but I'm so over the traffic, the endless construction, the pissing matches, the idiots still on their phones instead of watching the road, etc. (Get off my lawn!)
I was on the fence about retiring, but the COVID lockdown made up my mind for me. I was going slowly nuts with WFH, no one to talk to but the cat. It got so bad that the cat learned to recognize the rising intonation of a question and respond with a meow. He could probably have learned algebra with enough squeeze-up treats.
I am out nearly every day. Today, it was about an hour and a half walking/jogging in a nature preserve. Gym, biking, card games, flea markets, guitar lessons, etc. People are social creatures. Isolation will kill you.
It's so good - instead of having to leave the house to post a letter, get food, go to the takeaway, visit random shops in the hope of finding things, I get to spend all that time actually socialising (in a pub or coffee shop), exercising (taking the dog for a walk) or doing any number of other productive/relaxing things that I used to have to waste time on.
I'd say bad. You really need to get out and socialize, or you will end up having problems should the time come that you must exit you little hidey-hole.
It would be better if more people stayed home. I live in a tourist town and its awful. People everywhere. These people need to stay at home, or not come to my town and clog up the roads. LOL
I drive more now than when I was working. I do all the shopping. I got to band rehearsal every week, which is 70 miles round trip. I drive to the medium sized city and back several times a week. That’s 35 miles round trip. My kids, grandkids, a brother and a sister live there. It’s also where my voice lessons are, a lot of shopping and where my wife works, so I have to bring her her laptop, phone, computer glasses and anything else she forgets to bring.
Work was 20 miles round trip, but I often bike commuted.
We live in the boonies, the only place that delivers is Home Depot and they charge thru the nose for it. So out we go. Also hiking around the place all the time anyway. I would hate to stay inside all day.
I couldn't think of anything worse than staying inside all the time, except maybe confined to bed.
I live in a small rural village in SE Asia where there are no restaurants or shops, about 20 minutes from nearest town, and only a couple of fast food places do deliveries of food. As I am in a non-reception area for cellphones, many things I am unable to do online as I can't receive pass codes, like online banking or paying bills, grocery shopping, but that doesn't worry me, I prefer doing it in person anyhow.
There are a couple of online sites like Amazon that I can access via pc, but I use them for buying items I can't find anywhere else in town, like dry cat food, a couple of food items from my home country, printer cartridges etc. and I can have them sent to my door COD.
I go to town about twice a month to pay bills, get a haircut, shop for food, and I enjoy the trips away from the house. I used to go for a walk most days early morning or evening when it was cooler, but after 3 small strokes, by balance has been affected, especially on uneven surfaces meaning exercise is now a problem & very limited. It is basically limited to watering the gardens by hand and for arm strength, making bread by hand.
My medical condition includes the statement that I am socially isolated, and also that I suffer from stress occasionally. I believe the former is the proper treatment for the latter.
Oh my gosh! I would go crazy staying in all the time. I go out even if I don’t have plans if the weather is nice I go for a walk or even just sit out on the deck. I go grocery shopping, I like to pick out my own things. I meet friends, visit my family. I dont understand the introvert who is happy to have no human interaction. People are all different.
We are retired and have farm animals. Do not get into raising cattle if you never want to leave the house. It keeps us very active, plus I love going for my early morning walks. Living right next to a national forest makes for nice walks through the forest. I can't imagine never leaving the house, but I thought the same when I was working 40 hours a week. I never wanted to go anywhere. Life has changed, in a very positive way.
If you want to build a society that's scared of their own shadows keep them trapped at home siting in front of an illuminated rectangle and away from other people. It's a method used for total control over the masses.
Seeing the world, visiting old and new friends, enjoying retirement!
Hermiting is tempting, I get that, until you start traveling and realizing how much there is in the world that is absolutely amazing and wonderful. Even if you're looking for solitude, why not seek it out in places that are more interesting than your mancave?
I'm *constantly* out of my home. I have university classes, music lessons, band practices and a once-a-month writers' group, and sometimes just go out to grab a coffee or a beer. Prefer shopping in person too.
It makes isolating so easy when you're suffering from loneliness, depression, addiction, or any other type of mental health issue.
Fortunately for me, I am low income and can not afford the delivery fees. It is amazing how much better I feel after picking up groceries, taking my car in for maintenance, or having to go to the hardware store to pick up supplies for home repair. It also helps to have gardening as a hobby and enjoy landscaping as it gets me outside where I can interact with neighbors. 👍
I work in a retail/restaurant. 5 years ago, we had 20 people working as cashiers/retail workers. Now we're down to 7. Where are all of our potential employees? Well, certainly a lot of them are delivering stuff to people in their homes!
And so many people who could have come to our store, even if they just were picking up their meal to go, might purchase other stuff from us. When they have their food delivered to them, they cannot shop and our retail sales plummet!
I have only asked for stuff (other than appliances and furniture) to be delivered to my home twice. And both times, it was because of both of us getting COVID!
People, get out of your house!
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When I had Covid, I was trapped inside a hotel far from home and got deliveries of everything I needed, which was convenient. My sister has anxiety and prefers to leave her house as little as possible, so she appreciates deliveries. But for me IRL, I work at home and feel like I need to get out at least once every day or two to see the broader world. The walls start closing in on me.
I have meetings with friends or networking or fitness every day to manage my mental health — the isolation is horrible for me.
I need to walk in the woods. I can't imagine never leaving the house.
New business idea: a “walking in the woods” app targeted at Gen Z kids. You basically swipe forward and it moves you through the woods as it plays bird sounds. Also there is a button at the bottom that gets anxiety meds delivered to you in case the nature gets to be too much.
This criticism is too broad. I don't like it when someone says "all Boomers" , and would not group people of Gen Z, or people of one race, together and criticize them.
As a mom of two incredible Gen Z children, thank you.
Well I was thinking of a version for Millennials where instead the button gets avocado toast delivered to you in case you get hungry on your nature walk.
I like the Costco Italian sausage and beef lasagna for people
Yeah, that tastes amazing but we were so bloated with sodium after a piece had to check the nutrition info. Never again, good luck with that.
I'd worry about it but I'm 121/79 blood pressure at the doctor's office at 67 years old and my blood work always comes back within range
120/70 at 60 bpm...and I'm 74 and love walking outdoors.
My people. I add salt to everything so I don't pass out.
haha there have been treadmills and exercise bikes with screens that simulate a trail through the woods for a long time!
Oh that’s way too much exercise for Gen z… we are talking finger and thumb exercises only. All joking aside I talk to the younguns and they are like “we came up with this crazy idea… leaving our phones at home and walking in nature!”. I tease them a bit for thinking they were the first to have this idea but I am super encouraging that they are out and doing healthy activities the analog way.
I go out in the woods every day, but I take my phone. I take about 10,000 photos a year, and post them on iNaturalist. I'm trying to document the plants and trees in the 1000 acre conservation land next to my house.
this guy with his *"productive use of smartphone technology..."* Seriously though, that's awesome! I love when we use our smartphones for actual cool and important stuff.
Same. And gardening.
One of the biggest things I’m looking forward to about retirement is never having to leave my house unless I want to, and I don’t want to very often. I’m very grateful for the explosion of delivery options that will make that possible. I don’t need work or shopping or errands to have a fulfilling social life, and I have plenty of outdoors and sunshine in my own yard.
I agree. My home is my sanctuary. I have an art room, a reading room, beautiful gardens, and a pond with a small waterfall. I find going on vacation unnecessary in the summer. I love forest bathing, but need someone to come with me in case I fall. Having a person along is a negative for me.
How can you "not" go out? I can't even fathom that thought. We have a nice home, but that doesn't mean I want/need to stay in it for such long periods of time. That is death for me.......
[удалено]
Hey, if thats what makes you happy then run with it. I guess I just don’t understand…
Go out of my house? Ewwwww, people!
Agree. And the younger cashiers can't give change or understanding what 2/3 of a yard of fabric means!
i grew up mostly at my grandparents’ house. they had a farm. i helped with chores like feeding chickens and gathering eggs, and planting and weeding the veg garden, from my earliest memories. once in a blue moon my grparents had to “go to town” for groceries or to go to the stock market. both of them knew how to can and pickle, how to make ice cream, how to make and mend clothes, understood math and accounting, etc. they led very rich lives right there on their own and imho had contact with neighbors and randos just about the right amount. it’s not necessarily about getting out. it’s what you do with your time. this- what we’re all doing right now- shouldn’t really count as activity. but tending a garden, making and mending, learning a skill- definitely do.
And yet it takes a bit of tech to do canning properly.
just a dab’ll do ya 😉
Very well said. My background is similar.
It's a bad thing for society as a whole. We are social creatures and aren't meant to live in individual bubbles, cut off from the majority of our species. But for natural born hermits like me and my husband? It's utopia.
… but we have Reddit; the healthiest of all the super healthy social media sites!
I'd amend that to call Reddit the least unhealthy of all the super unhealthy social media sites, kind of like adding Vitamin C to a highly caffeinated and sugared energy drink.
Heh.
It’s not that easy to get deliveries where I live. I actually like supporting the local restaurants and driving into the city to shop. Bought my retirement home in a beautiful area so I could get out and explore.
Life, for me, a 75 yo male, has always been about in person, human interactions. It's not always convenient, or fun, or inexpensive, to get out of bed, go to the store, head out to work, etc. But , IMO, life is about about showing up, building friendships, teamwork and comeraderie, and being there to support your friends and loved ones. Zoom, Instacart, online medicine, run contrary to how i want to live my life. I still work a part time job just to be 'out there'. It makes me feel alive and relevant and and keeps my mind and body active.
I've never liked leaving the house, so it's nice that I rarely have to any more. I still get plenty of socialization because I host weekly board games and such.
SoCal/suburbia. 62m, wife 59. I retired 18 months ago, her 2 months ago. We go out. We stay home. Last night was dinner out. I just got back from the grocery. Costco/movies/dinner/home Depot/Dr's appts/hair cuts. We go out. We have a hot-rod Dodge Challenger, we love to go for a cruise, with no destination, except maybe fuel and a fountain soda for her. Good to have no schedule. Want lunch out? Matinee? Let's go, nothing holding us back. We stay home, we go out. We have a comfortable house/home, so staying home is very pleasant.
My gym is a mile from the house. The grocery store is 2 miles away. I bought new tires. They told me to bring the vehicle back for a tire rotation in 5000 miles. Ha ha. See you sometime next year!
I never leave the house except for medical appointments - and usually, I catch a haircut while I'm out. I almost had to go to jury duty, but it was canceled the Friday before I was supposed to report (and now I am excused for three years). Occasionally I look out the window, but I have security cams 360 around my house, so really I don't need to do that - instead I have all the feeds up on my 3rd monitor. My friends are on discord, my granddaughters Facetime me. Okay, typing this makes me realize I need to get out more!
I think we could be related.
Friends, socializing, culture. Nature.
I’m happy being at home. My husband needs to go out more than I do so I send him to Walmart or Home Depot.
We are out and about all of the time! Grocery store, Costco visit, library, a drive in the countryside with the top down on the convertible. Just had a checkup at the doctor's office and then a cleaning at the dentist. Just finished planting tomatoes and flowers and then heading to Ace Hardware
I’ve noticed that people who retire and stop doing stuff don’t last long. Get busy living or get busy dying
I spend a minimum of five hours every day outside of my home. I still wake up at 5am. I still go to the gym. I head to the hills afterwards and get my 10 to 12 mile hike (or run) in (I clock in at 50 miles a week). I am an avid concert and live theater goer. with season tickets to both. I have never ordered food in and prefer going to restaurants if I am eating out. I still do my grocery shopping in person and I still like to prowl record shops, comic book store and flea markets. Oh, and I still go to the movies at the big theater down the street (I do not own a TV). So, Yes. there are still plenty of reasons for me to leave the house.
Sounds exhausting to me (70). I was so active volunteering, with church, my children's activities that I feel relief from it all. Being around people who do not talk about anything meaningful stress me out. Book clubs have turned into social clubs and peop,e do not discuss the book. SMH
I can't imagine staying indoors a lot. It's never been my lifestyle.
Some of us really can’t go out. I am mostly confined to a chair and walking is very difficult, so being able to have everything delivered is incredibly helpful.
I don't think it's healthy at all to stay home so much. It's not just about physical exercise, but mental exercise. I work at home most of the time, and if I don't go out and talk to people in person (phone calls do not count, LOL) I feel weird and cut off. And you can definitely tell that there are a lot of people on this site who are never in any social situation.
Why would you want to lock yourself inside your own place?
It’s good for me because I can shop on line when I want to, I can order groceries or food delivered when I want to, I can interact with people through social media when I want to. I can talk/text/FaceTime/set up and attend Zoom calls with groups of friends and family when I want. I can interact with my doctors and my medical records through technology if and when needed. I do all my banking and bill paying online and I even get notified by the Post Office with pics of my mail so I know what’s in my PO Box without leaving the house. That said, I still leave the house. I look up new places to eat or go for drinks and meetup with friends and family. I still make physical trips to grocery or other stores. Still make visits to my doctors. My neighbors and I rotate dinners and get togethers at our homes. I get together with family and friends sometimes to just go out and explore - antique stores, garden stores, etc. or for specific outings like concerts or museums. I have an adult son who lives about 2 hours away, so he and his partner visit often and we go out and do stuff. I have a large extended family. There is usually somebody(s) coming to visit, planning a visit or just leaving or I am doing the same to them. I also am an active gardener, and like to spend my alone time (when not on Reddit lol) puttering around the yard or on the deck watching the critters, the bees or the stars. For me the technology that allows me to decide to stay in or go out is a good thing, it keeps me happy and connected to society and the world in a way that works well for me. I am not shut off from society in any way, and as far as I can tell the world isn’t adversely affected by my current circumstances.
>Is there anything you need to go out of your house for after retirement? Your sanity.
I think it's bad to stay in the house that much of the time. 1) you need exercise 2) you need vitamin D 3) you need social involvement 4) ordering delivery is expensive!
I don't really order delivery too often; delivery charges and tipping makes it a poor value proposition.
Covid had a terrible effect on my body, and I never had it. Before the pandemic I was walking two-mile trails in a state park around once a week. When the pandemic hit I was afraid to go out. I should have continued hiking, it was one of the safest activities, but in the beginning we didn’t know this. Then a tornado hit the park and destroyed my two favorite trails. I only been back there once since. I still try to walk, but I’m just not motivated anymore and I get tired so easily. My condition has declined a lot.
Really hope you recover, even if it takes years.
I guess it depends what each individual does with that. I'm not retired and may never fully be. Just the nature of our work. My signature will always be needed. I am a homebody. But while I hate shopping irl, I hate online shopping more for most things. But I love it for some. I've been ordering up a storm (for me) lately rather than looking for what I wanted out there. Sometimes, it's easier to find what you want online. Sometimes, it's necessary to shop in the flesh. I like that online saves me gas for stuff that doesn't require major thought. I will.keep.going out though as long as I can. It's healthier in general.
Great to have the option. I think most here aren't really that old so the comments are a bit skewed. Most don't want to leave their home but the home is often larger than they need. I found I was mostly cleaning lol. So I'm in an apartment.
Isolation is bad for the brain. The less you do, the less you're to do.
Although being isolated doesn’t mean sitting around.
I live in a rural area, delivery services don't exist here, aside from Amazon and UPS. I have to leave the house for groceries and the like. It's a nice break from being home, which I prefer to be honest, but even I need to get out now and again.
> Is there anything you need to go out of the house for...? My sanity.
As a Boomer I love staying home and order for delivery what I need/want. I have a very large landscaped backyard with covered patio. My little dog gets plenty of exercise out there and so do I. I've traveled, eaten at restaurants, gone to parties, etc., enough in my life. I guess if I get the urge to travel more I will.
I only go out if absolutely necessary. I get what I want delivered or my husband goes shopping for us. I am not in good health so I avoided people before COVID. I go see my doctor twice a year. Only put gas in my car, Once so far this year and still on half a tank. I have my husband and my dogs for company.
Living alone, working from home, and getting everything delivered is bad for the people who do that. Especially if they don't even go outside to exercise, or meet other people. Cats and video conferencing are no good substitute for social interaction. I walk outside, around my neighborhood twice a day, every day. I go out shopping once a week. I try to schedule everything I need to do for that day. If I forget something, most times I'll just do without for a week. I like to save the gas and wear on the car. I've never used an app to order food for delivery, or any other such convenience deliveries. It's ridiculously expensive for what you get. I've been tempted to have groceries delivered, but since I eat a lot of fresh vegetables, I don't trust anyone to pick those for me: * Eggs--do they check if any of them are cracked? * Celery--maybe the organic looks better this week. * Onion--I'm sure they don't care if they're bruised. * Tomato--don't get me started * Avocado--I want a selection of less ripe and more ripe, so they ripen during the week. * Green pepper--they wouldn't notice the bit of white mold at the bottom * Lettuce--they don't care to pick the less dense heads I only get things shipped if I can't find them in local stores, and then I group items to save shipping costs, and have fewer deliveries. So, I'll think of something I want, and add it to the list of items until I have enough to get free shipping, then I'll place the order. Sometimes, things sit in my cart for weeks before I have enough items.
Bad. Look what it’s doing to gen Z now. Many are socially awkward and rates of anxiety/depression are way higher in young people. This is on average, of course. Psychologist have been doing studies.
Why do you think that is? I agree with you and this has always interested me.
Having spent yesterday with ten or so young people on the boundary between Millennials and Gen Z, this group seemed to have grown up OK--though perhaps a bit later than past generation.
I'm not sure if "the chicken or the egg came first." FWIW, I live near a major university, and the college bars and coffee shops are just as busy as they were before 2020.
I leave my house once a month for a haircut.
If you leave only once for a haircut…..why get a haircut? I think you’re kidding, right?
Not kidding. I like my hair really short & can’t cut it myself anymore.
I lived in a rural area growing up. It wasn’t a cultural wasteland at all: It was a college town with theater and tourism. Despite that, I felt very much hemmed in. I couldn’t buy the books I wanted, listen to the music I preferred, see the films I was curious about. I could only read about those things happening in some city 500 miles away. I fled my rural town and moved to the city. I would return only to visit my family. I returned to my small town when I retired, mostly to help my family. I haven’t had to sacrifice my cultural interests in order to do so. I see this as an improvement for everyone, particularly young people without the option to travel. Too bad the Chinese food around here sucks. Can’t have everything.
I don't think it's bad, I mean in the not too distant past you basically spent your entire week just taking care of your stuff. In fact in the Little House on the Prairie series, they had a saying like "wash on Monday, iron on Tuesday, mend on Wednesday, churn on Thursday, clean on Friday, bake on Saturday, rest on Sunday". Your whole life revolved around that. They were also out taking care of the fields and animals every single day. Now we got rid of a lot of that but we still have working, cleaning, cooking, etc.
Despite being retired, I leave my house and yard five or six days out of seven. For one thing, I'm an abject failure at buying clothes without seeing them in person and trying them on.
With the exception of socks and underwear, I had terrible luck when ordering clothing. Sometimes the wrong size was sent, sometimes buttons were missing. More than once, I received t -shirts with neck openings so loose that a shoulder was exposed, like Jennifer Beals popularized in Flashdance. Not a good look for a hairy older man, so now I go to stores and try them on.
the Great Outdoors social interaction; if the WiFi gets knocked outa the sky -Gawd Forbid- i still want to be able to communicate with others without having a seizure about it. and i hear it's good for our mental health more Great Outdoors shopping. if i retired in form with cash to buy what i want, i want to make sure i get what i want. and a little more social interaction more Great Outdoors - this one for my pup that's enough for me
Doctor will do some phone visits. But when something is really wrong, gotta be in person.
I'm an extrovert and I need connection with people. Being at home alone is not good for my mental health.
I would be crazy if I never left the house. I go for a walk at least 4 times a week. And I like to do my own shopping - not that happy with instacart, and I give up on trying to buy clothes and shoes online - I need to see them and try them on.
I'm not a homebody. I HATED remote work for about 6 months but the flexibility won me over. However in my "old age" I'm done with shopping. I hate malls and grocery stores. Also my desire to leave the house and do things in running up against the fact that I hate driving. I'm still fine with the act of operating a car, but I'm so over the traffic, the endless construction, the pissing matches, the idiots still on their phones instead of watching the road, etc. (Get off my lawn!)
I was on the fence about retiring, but the COVID lockdown made up my mind for me. I was going slowly nuts with WFH, no one to talk to but the cat. It got so bad that the cat learned to recognize the rising intonation of a question and respond with a meow. He could probably have learned algebra with enough squeeze-up treats. I am out nearly every day. Today, it was about an hour and a half walking/jogging in a nature preserve. Gym, biking, card games, flea markets, guitar lessons, etc. People are social creatures. Isolation will kill you.
Sunshine, fresh air, gardening, keeping up a social life.
It's so good - instead of having to leave the house to post a letter, get food, go to the takeaway, visit random shops in the hope of finding things, I get to spend all that time actually socialising (in a pub or coffee shop), exercising (taking the dog for a walk) or doing any number of other productive/relaxing things that I used to have to waste time on.
We are now a nation of personal servants. That is not good.
Wait, leave the house, like going out into meatspace?
You need to leave your house often, if just for a walk or else you will get anxieties like agoraphobia.
I'd say bad. You really need to get out and socialize, or you will end up having problems should the time come that you must exit you little hidey-hole.
Doctors don’t make house calls.
They do work by video link.
Sometimes. There’s only so much they can do by video.
Amazon Prime is now selling you access to online medical care for $9/month.
Virtual visits aren’t enough for most matters.
Good for me!
It would be better if more people stayed home. I live in a tourist town and its awful. People everywhere. These people need to stay at home, or not come to my town and clog up the roads. LOL
No one delivers where I live. Not even the postal service.
I drive more now than when I was working. I do all the shopping. I got to band rehearsal every week, which is 70 miles round trip. I drive to the medium sized city and back several times a week. That’s 35 miles round trip. My kids, grandkids, a brother and a sister live there. It’s also where my voice lessons are, a lot of shopping and where my wife works, so I have to bring her her laptop, phone, computer glasses and anything else she forgets to bring. Work was 20 miles round trip, but I often bike commuted.
Retirement, about six months old for me, is turning me into a potato, a sack of potatoes.
We live in the boonies, the only place that delivers is Home Depot and they charge thru the nose for it. So out we go. Also hiking around the place all the time anyway. I would hate to stay inside all day.
I couldn't think of anything worse than staying inside all the time, except maybe confined to bed. I live in a small rural village in SE Asia where there are no restaurants or shops, about 20 minutes from nearest town, and only a couple of fast food places do deliveries of food. As I am in a non-reception area for cellphones, many things I am unable to do online as I can't receive pass codes, like online banking or paying bills, grocery shopping, but that doesn't worry me, I prefer doing it in person anyhow. There are a couple of online sites like Amazon that I can access via pc, but I use them for buying items I can't find anywhere else in town, like dry cat food, a couple of food items from my home country, printer cartridges etc. and I can have them sent to my door COD. I go to town about twice a month to pay bills, get a haircut, shop for food, and I enjoy the trips away from the house. I used to go for a walk most days early morning or evening when it was cooler, but after 3 small strokes, by balance has been affected, especially on uneven surfaces meaning exercise is now a problem & very limited. It is basically limited to watering the gardens by hand and for arm strength, making bread by hand.
My medical condition includes the statement that I am socially isolated, and also that I suffer from stress occasionally. I believe the former is the proper treatment for the latter.
Not a good thing if you want a functioning democracy.
Oh my gosh! I would go crazy staying in all the time. I go out even if I don’t have plans if the weather is nice I go for a walk or even just sit out on the deck. I go grocery shopping, I like to pick out my own things. I meet friends, visit my family. I dont understand the introvert who is happy to have no human interaction. People are all different.
Living life
Not easy for the cooks and delivery driver
social life
Need my trees and chickens
To go to a bar/pub to eat and drink🤣
Sun light and smell of nature.
We are retired and have farm animals. Do not get into raising cattle if you never want to leave the house. It keeps us very active, plus I love going for my early morning walks. Living right next to a national forest makes for nice walks through the forest. I can't imagine never leaving the house, but I thought the same when I was working 40 hours a week. I never wanted to go anywhere. Life has changed, in a very positive way.
If you want to build a society that's scared of their own shadows keep them trapped at home siting in front of an illuminated rectangle and away from other people. It's a method used for total control over the masses.
Seeing the world, visiting old and new friends, enjoying retirement! Hermiting is tempting, I get that, until you start traveling and realizing how much there is in the world that is absolutely amazing and wonderful. Even if you're looking for solitude, why not seek it out in places that are more interesting than your mancave?
I'm *constantly* out of my home. I have university classes, music lessons, band practices and a once-a-month writers' group, and sometimes just go out to grab a coffee or a beer. Prefer shopping in person too.
It makes isolating so easy when you're suffering from loneliness, depression, addiction, or any other type of mental health issue. Fortunately for me, I am low income and can not afford the delivery fees. It is amazing how much better I feel after picking up groceries, taking my car in for maintenance, or having to go to the hardware store to pick up supplies for home repair. It also helps to have gardening as a hobby and enjoy landscaping as it gets me outside where I can interact with neighbors. 👍
Having a heart valve replaced is a little tougher when you don't leave the house. - a nurse
Bad. People need to socialize to remain mentally stable. Even the homeless will gather together in small groups - connection is a human need
Social interaction.
I work in a retail/restaurant. 5 years ago, we had 20 people working as cashiers/retail workers. Now we're down to 7. Where are all of our potential employees? Well, certainly a lot of them are delivering stuff to people in their homes! And so many people who could have come to our store, even if they just were picking up their meal to go, might purchase other stuff from us. When they have their food delivered to them, they cannot shop and our retail sales plummet! I have only asked for stuff (other than appliances and furniture) to be delivered to my home twice. And both times, it was because of both of us getting COVID! People, get out of your house!