Are You Psychologically Ready to Retire?
The author of this article is a certified geriatric care manager with 12 years’ experience. She has found that for some of her clients, retirement has not been what they imagined or hoped it would be; particularly for a generation of men who didn’t come to terms with the loss of their career identity or finding new and appealing ways to stay active.
Feeling unhappy or lacking energy and motivation after retiring is amazingly common. The irony is that advisors emphasize the need to plan financially for retirement. But how much emphasis do we place on being prepared emotionally and psychologically to step into this new way of life? We have clients who are established, educated, successful older adults and have planned well for retirement financially but never gave the same attention to what they would be doing with their time and what that would truly feel like for them. Certain clients are too embarrassed to admit they are having a hard time adjusting because society has placed high marks on the expectation that once you are retired you are living the “good life.”
How can you complain?
Have no fear, there are tangible steps you can take to ensure that you, your loved one or perhaps your clients embrace retirement in a way that will bring peace of mind and successfully forge new beginnings. However, we need to figure out ways to maximize our own happiness and have a willingness to recognize that life as we know it is going to change in ways we have not experienced. Most importantly, we must have the courage to increase our self-awareness to make decisions that will honor this very different time in our lives.
There is clearly no one-size-fits-all answer, but one should start to build a structure for their retirement a few years before the planned date.
Talk openly with your spouse, significant other or other family members about your goals as well as your concerns about retirement.
Talk with a retirement coach specializing in the non-financial aspects of retirement.
Dedicate time to discovering hobbies on weekends while you are still working.
Volunteering and committing to philanthropy before or during retirement is a wonderful way to connect to your community and establish new friends and a stronger sense of purpose.
Think about moving to a retirement community for the built-in activities and the opportunities for social engagement.
Perhaps you have already retired. Life has changed in ways that you could not have expected and, you, your loved one or a client is experiencing significant dissatisfaction and frustration; it has all become too much to handle. Align yourself with a certified care manager who is in the know about all these matters and can guide you toward making the right decisions and help you get on track.
It often takes a village to grow old with dignity and grace.
Written by: by Jill Poser-Kammet, 11/11/20, Advisor Perspectives
Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay
