Pursue a new passion

TRYING SOMETHING NEW LATER IN LIFE CAN SEEM SCARY, BUT THE BENEFITS ARE ALMOST ENDLESS, SAYS CAMILLA FOSTER

- 

CURRENTLY winning over movie lovers, The Thursday Murder Club film currently on Netflix, beautifully illustrates how discovering a new passion can bring renewed energy and purpose to life.

Based on Richard Osman’s international bestseller book of the same name, it follows four spirited retirees - Elizabeth (Helen Mirren), Ron (Pierce Brosnan), Ibrahim (Sir Ben Kingsley), and Joyce (Celia Imrie) - who spend their retirement solving cold case murders for fun.

Their thrilling new hobby highlights how transformative - physically and mentally - it can be to embrace something new in your golden years.

Here, Dr Anna Saunders, consultant clinical psychologist and director of clinical operations at the Chelsea Psychology Clinic, shares some of the key benefits of pursuing a new passion later in life.

Helps you create a new identity

Starting a new hobby in retirement can help you create a new sense of identity by adding new facets to your personality beyond your former professional roles.

“Often our identity is very tied up in our job, so it’s important to think about how we step away from that in retirement and find new things to fill in and develop structure in our lives,” says Dr Saunders. “I've read The Thursday Club Murder books and that is exactly what happens. They get a new life and a new sense of who they are with their passion.”

Helps build structure and routine

“Work gives us structure, you have to wake up at a certain time and be in the office at a set time. So, in retirement having a new passion can bring that structure back into your day,” says Dr Saunders.