Thinking About Retirement?

Raise your hand if you're already thinking abour Retirement?  Yeah, me too!  

But not from therapy - I LOVE that job!  Being a therapist is my therapy.

Part of my work as a therapist is to help people through various life transitions.  It's one of the things I love best to help people with.  But there's one of life's transitions that often gets overlooked, and that's the transition into retirement.  People are quick to think about or even plan for other life transitions, such as parenthood, empty nest, or career planning, but they forget to think about retirement.

Some of you may be approaching this significant milestone, and as you do, it's important to prioritize your mental and emotional health, not just your financial future.  In this blog post, I'll share some insights and tips to help you prepare for a meaningful and fulfilling retirement.

Reflect on Your Career

It's important to take time to reflect on your own life and career journey.   Think back to when you first entered the work world and consider all the jobs you've embarked on since then, and how they all led you to your final career destination.  Celebrate your successes, acknowledge your challeneges and even your failures, and explore how your experiences have shaped you.  These types of reflections can be a powerful tool for personal growth and you move toward retirement.

Financial Planning

Prior to stepping away from your career or you life in the working world, it is crucial that you are financially ready and able to stop work.  Typically, a person's income in retirement is less than it is while working, so that needs to be taken into account, as you need to make sure that you will have enough to live on each month.  It is recommended that you connect with a financial advisor to assess  your retirement savings, investments, pension, and budget.  Understanding and planning for retirement well in advance can reduce or alleviate stress and provide a clear roadmap for the future.  By working with a financial advisor well in advance, you can adapt your saving and spending strategy to align with your retirement goals.

Maintain Social Connections

What often gets forgotten about when thinking about retirement, is the potential lack of social connections.  We get so used to having human social interaction on a daily basis, simply by showing up at work.  It's become a normal part of our everyday lives.  But what happens when you retire?  All those natural social interactions disappear...unless you are intentional about maintaing relationships.  If there are people at work that you'd like to maintain friendships with in retirement, make sure that you've cultivated that relationship and are able to contact them outside of work.  But it's also important to develop friendships outside of your professional realm, especially with other people who may be in the same season of life.  Building a strong social support system can contribute significantly to a sense of purpose and fulfillment in retirement.  You may think you'll be happy having some alone time once you retire, but after a while, the human nature of connection will kick in.  So plan ahead and establish relationships and friendships before you retire.  

Explore Hobbies & Interests

Retirement opens the door to explore interests and passions that may have taken a backseat during your career.  We often find that we don't have time to get involved in outside activites during the years we're busy growing our career and our families.  Things that we always planned or dreamed to try or do, go by the wayside.  But in retirement, you may have the opportunity to try some of those long lost interests.  So prior to retirement, make yourself a list of things you've always wanted to do or try, and then begin looking into their availability and cost so that you can plan for them.  Engaging in enjoyable actiities can bring you longlasting joy and fulfillment in retirement.  Not to mention, it can help keep you busy, as you may struggle to find things to do with your time.

Establish a Routine

This one is so much more important than you might imagine.  If you don't have a routine, it's too easy to just sit around all day, evnetually forget to shower, or even become depressed.  You don't have to keep the routine or schedule you had while you were working...I mean, after all, retirement is supposed to be a break, a rest from the rat race of the work world.  But having at least a loose daily structure is important for your mental well-being.  And health wise, research has shown that getting up and going to bed at the same time every day is good for you.  Create a flexible schedule that allows for both relaxation and engaging activities you enjoy, including social interaction with others.

Continued Learning

We've all heard about folks who get dementia or Alzheimers in retirement and many of us may fear that happening to us.  But there is a way to slow down its arrival.  Staying intellectually stimulated is the best way to combat or slow down the inevitable deterioration of your brain.  You can do this by pursuing ongoing education about topics or skills that interest you.  This could be attending local workshops, enrolling in classes, or joining discussion groups, perhaps even to stay current in the area of work you were involved in prior to retirement.  The ongoing pursuit of knowledge and mental stimulation can add richness to your retirement and increase your mental acuity and longevity.

Prioritize Self Care

I know some people view retirement as perpetual self care.  And in some ways it is or can be, as a reward, of sorts, for a long life of working hard.  But it is important in retirement to make sure that we actually do put things in place to maintain good physical, emotional, and mental health, which include incorporating healthy habits into your daily life.  This can include being more mindful about the food you eat, or taking walks to maintain your muscle and bone strength.  It's all to easy to fall apart if we aren't intentional about taking care of ourselves.

Volunteer Work

According to Erickson's Developmental Stages, our retirement years are about integrity vs. despair.  We are assessing and making sense of life and the meaning of our contributions.  Just because we're retired from our career, doesn't mean we can't still make a meaningful contribution to our community.  Consider offering your knowledge, skills, and expertise to community organizations or to your church.  This may include helping on projects or mentoring younger people and can provide a sense of purpose while also contributing to the greater good.

Plan for Transition

Retirement doesn't mean an end to growth and change.  Embrace the inevitable transitions and be open to exploring new possibilities.  Flexibility and adaptability are key components of a fulfilling retirement.  I know when I first started thinking about retirement, I got a little freaked out because I questioned what I was going to do or be in the world.  I started wondering what my purpose would be now that I didn't have to get up and go to work and have a prescribed set of tasks I was supposed to accomplish.  It was kind of scary!  So it's important to begin thinking about these things long before retirement, so those "lost" feelings don't sneak up on you.  And that's also why, as I mentioned before, having a schedule of some sort is so important.

Seek Professional Support

And if the emotional aspects of retirement become challenging, don't hesitate to seek support from a therapist.  Sharing and processing your thoughts and feelings can be a very valuable part of the transition process.  In fact, I would encourage anyone who has begun to consider retirement in the near future, to seek professional support now, to prepare for life in retirement.  

Retirement should be something to look forward to, not something to dread or be afraid of.  And that is possible if we approach it with intention, self-reflection, and a commitment to living our best life.

If you'd like more direct and personal help with managing or preparing for your upcoming retirement or if you're already retired and struggling to find peace or meaning, please visit my website and schedule a free 15 minute consultation - www.brittaniedmillslmft.com. I'm happy to walk alongside you in your retirement journey.

I provide online couples and individual counseling throughout California, Tennessee, South Carolina, and Florida.

If you'd like to see any of my previous blog posts, please click here.

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Email - bdmills@brittaniedmillslmft.com

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