Preparing Yourself Mentally for Retirement

Ah, retirement. You’ve been hearing about it – perhaps dreaming about it – your entire working life, how those “golden years” at the end of your career will provide the freedom you need to travel, take it easy and just generally develop a deeper appreciation for life.

While there is some truth to the cliché, the reality is that the transition from the workforce to retirement represents a major life change with plenty of potential emotional challenges. Many people derive their self-esteem and identity from work, leaving them to wonder where those will come from in retirement. And there are practical matters to consider – how do you fill those 40 (or more) hours per week previously passed in the workplace?

There is no way to know what the transition to retirement will be like emotionally until you go through it, but there are steps you can take to minimize the anxiety as you say goodbye to your professional life.

Think Ahead: Preparing yourself emotionally for a life change as large as retirement cannot be done in a few weeks or months. Experts advise giving yourself at least a full year to get used to the idea of retirement and to identify any emotional issues that might arise.
 
Visualize Your Future: Once you have got your head around the prospect of retiring then turn your attention toward how best to utilize the years in front of you. Visualize all the things you have ever dreamed about doing, from climbing Europe’s highest mountains to supporting your local community. Then create a vision/mood board that will make these ambitions more visible and shareable.

Test the Waters: In some cases, you can tiptoe rather than plunge into retirement by slowly reducing your working hours or taking a sabbatical in the months or years before your actual retirement date. This strategy provides the opportunity to test your assumptions and revise your plans accordingly.

Peer Review: If you are nearing retirement age, it is a safe bet you have some friends in the same boat. Open a conversation with them regarding your shared emotional, physical and economic anticipations. It’s even more helpful to talk with friends who have already retired to get their thoughts on how best to make the transition.

Family Matters: For many, retirement is a family matter as much as anything else. If that is true in your case, it is important to sit down and discuss everyone’s ideas and expectations. For example, are you hoping to see the grandchildren every day? If your spouse is also retiring, what are the expectations regarding shared and separate activities? Getting everything out in the open can help prevent disappointment or even conflict later on.

Cut Yourself Some Slack: It is of the utmost importance to recognize that you might feel emotional discomfort as you transition from the workforce to retirement, even if it is mixed with happiness and excitement. This is utterly normal, so acknowledge that reality and try to be gentle with yourself as you navigate this significant change in your life.

At Harmony Communities, we feel strongly that each resident has a sense of home. That they come home from work and feel pride in their environment and in their place in the greater community. That families are comfortable raising children in our neighborhoods, and that couples and singles know that they belong to something bigger than their four walls. In other words, we seek to create harmony within each community, making our communities not just passable, but peaceful, safe, functional, and beautiful.