People in jobs frequently dream of finishing work and having more time to themselves, doing what they want. However, for others, the thought of retirement brings with it a sense of burgeoning dread. Work is a comfortable routine and with the end of this routine come questions of purpose and how to build a new lifestyle with real meaning.
Freedom and Responsibility
How are you going to navigate along a wide-open road? The sense of freedom can, at first, seem overwhelming. Your responsibility is, principally, to yourself. You have to find a way to fill this freedom in ways that are meaningful to you.
The thing you need is a positive mental outlook. Whatever you have left behind in ending full-time work, you should look ahead and develop new ways of thinking about life. A major shift in lifestyle can feel traumatic, but try and see it as opening up opportunities.
Understandably, this process may not be straightforward, but if you’re systematic about tackling each of your anxieties, you can make positive plans for your future.
The Time for Action
Retirement can throw up issues around identity: if your job has largely been what has defined you, in your mind at least, then no longer doing your job raises questions about who you really are. Remember, your work experience will have given you skills and experience, and there’s nothing stopping you from applying these in a different setting.
You might volunteer working for a charity in the third sector, or set up as a tutor or coach; or you might develop a hobby into a small business interest. Always think in terms of adaptability, and also what would give you the most satisfaction.
Another issue is routine; work provides one, retirement doesn’t automatically. You’re largely free to set your own routine, and for many people this is important, because while it might be a different routine, it gives each day a sense of structure.
Taking action is the answer to anxiety. Where there are dangers in no longer feeling of value, or having a sense of encroaching boredom with no clearly defined goals, then making practical plans and following them through can help fill the gap where full time work used to be.
