How To Adjust To Retirement

Posted on: 10 December 2015

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You may feel that your work is the biggest aspect of your life that defines you, but it can be challenging to use your job as a sole source of your identity, especially when you eventually retire. Therefore, as you retire to a retirement home, it is time to make sure that you do not experience any adverse side effects to retirement.

Maintain Your Relationships

Many of your friendships have likely come from your place of work and it isn't as difficult to remain in-touch with your fellow workers when you see them everyday. However, it can be harder to maintain relationships when you no longer see each other at work. Come up with a different activity, such as movie night, that you and your friends can participate in to remain in touch.

Tackle Your Bucket List Gradually

If you have a long list of things that you wanted to do when you retired, you may find that you are paralyzed by the large number of choices. To avoid paralysis, consider committing to simply the first item on your list. More often, the first item is one of the items that you wanted the most. Give yourself a period to relax and completely take time off because you will need time to adjust. However, do not allow this period to go on for too long because you may then miss out on opportunities to enjoy your retirement.

Remember That You Paid Your Dues

You may feel guilty for not having anything to do that you consider to be productive. However, don't forget that you have spent several years engaged in productive work. It is now time to cash-in on your efforts and you deserve to enjoy yourself. You will need to change the labels that you associate yourself with. For instance, you may have thought of yourself as an electrician, but you need to remember that you may have a role as a grandparent or a spouse. Devote more time to fulfilling your role and you will feel that you are still contributing. Though you may have focused your time on providing for your family, remember that they also need time with you.

Handle Relationship Challenges

There may be new relationship challenges that arise. For instance, your spouse may need to adjust to you not going to work and spending so much time with you. This is a good opportunity to reconnect with why you fell in love in the first place. 

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