Some people make a smooth transition to retirement, jumping into their new lifestyles with energy, excitability and willingness, but others have more trouble adjusting.
Most people assume that in retirement they have to go from working full time for 40 years to fully retiring cold turkey.
Consider asking your company for a sliding retirement plan. Dropping your full time work week to a day or two per week will ease the transition of your retirement while giving your employer an opportunity to adjust to your departure as well.
Easing the retirement transition by considering activities that are important to you may be the way to go. Do you have a love of sports or take interest in hiking, traveling, cultural events, family events, etc, figuring out ways to incorporate these activities will make the “shock” of retirement a little less jolting.
Don’t think of this time as the end of your career, think of it as the beginning of your retirement life. Read articles about it, and visit websites. Talk to people who are retired. Talk to your partner. Sign up for classes, workshops or volunteer work. Retirement is a new beginning.
Work on replacing your social network. Often times the newly retired miss the social interactions from work. It’s helpful to get to know people through classes, workshops, your fitness center, church, or volunteering. If you don’t, you may spend a lot of time sitting around at home watching TV, which the average retiree does for 48 hours a week, studies show.
Another approach is to plan a structure for your days by identifying your top five priorities and then allocate 95% of your time to them. Do things you’ve put off doing. This might include medical tests, home remodeling or visiting family or friends.
Stay mentally alert by keeping up with the news and current events. If you can afford it, travel for short periods to see places that you might enjoy. And challenge your memory by reading, doing puzzles and reminiscing. Consider retirement as a period of trial and error. There’s a whole new world of opportunities sitting in front of you, your decisions are never “final” and finding part time work, social or volunteer opportunities that are in line with your personal goals and self development will keep you happily retired.
