Tips to adjusting to retirement
Retirement – it’s a stage in life that people look forward to all their lives, a time where you can do what you want, when you want it. While that may be true for many people, popular imaginations of an idyllic retirement life rarely speak to an issue that’s quite common in the newly retired: the difficulty in adjusting to retirement life.
Take June Spencer, who despite thinking that she was ready to retire instead found that she hated retirement, at least initially.
“My husband and I had lots of plans to look forward to. I remember I was working my last night shift as a registered nurse. I walked out the door of the hospital and felt as though someone had hit me in the face. I realised that I didn’t belong there anymore,” she recalls.
“Thinking about it, I came to the conclusion that we all have a perception of ourselves: who we are, where we belong in the society we live in. I had always been a nurse and it was how I identified myself but my retirement took that away. I was completely lost, like I suddenly became no one,” says June, adding, “It’s been three years now. My life is full, and I am happy. But there are still days when I wake up and miss going to work.”
Retirement can be a mixed blessing, and for some it’s more challenging than expected to adjust to this new phase in life. Remember, that’s ok – retirement will be very different to the life you once lived, and like anything new, it takes time to adjust and settle.
Linett Shave knows that feeling all too well, revealing to Over60: “I retired in 2013 and am only now beginning to accept life as it is now. I was just not as prepared as I could have been and adjusting to not working each day was difficult. With no grandchildren or extended family, I knew I had to sort this one out myself. Trial and error really, finding interests and activities that were doing more than just filling in time. I also needed to become comfortable with just ‘being’.”
Linett believes it’s all about how you approach retirement.
“I do not find it easy, however I am enjoying the freedom I have to choose how I spend my time,” she says, adding she is now volunteering, learning more about computer, connecting with people through U3A and church, going to the movies and getting out to more events.
Tina Coulthard warns of a retirement “honeymoon period” and that people need to plan for the time where the novelty of endless free time wears off.
“I have been retired for four years. At first we were very busy, bought into an over 50s village, travelled and followed hobbies,” she says, before revealing, “This year reality has come home... limited income, health issues, hobbies getting old hat and house already organised.”
Tina adds, “I think there is a honeymoon period when solving the retirement problems gives you a buzz... then you learn how to really live it.”
For most newly retired folks, the big adjustment is managing their time. That may not sound difficult but when you have infinite time on your hand and don’t manage the time well, retirement days can become aimless, monotonous and boring.
Barry Preston has some advice for people planning their retirement.
“Before I retired, I made a list in an exercise book of all the things I could do with my time so that I would have a variety of activities and not be bored,” he recalls, adding, “This has been successful as I cannot remember any time that I regretted retiring. The most important two things are to be as active as you can and do activities to keep your mind active.”
But keep in mind that you don’t want to go overboard either – another common danger of retirement – and over-schedule all your time so retirement ends up being too tiring and draining. After all, retirement is meant to be a time of rest and relaxation.
Use Bill Lancaster’s tip for getting the delicate balance act correct.
“When I retired two years ago I was worried about all the time I had to keep myself busy. But then I realised I actually worked eight hours of the day so when I retired I only had to think about what to do for the eight hours I used to work, and add them onto the rest,” he says.
Remember retirement is different for everybody and what works for you can only be discovered by you.
Top tips to get the retirement you want
- Plan your retirement in advance. Think about it well before you plan to retire.
- Consider your bucket lists. What do you want to accomplish or do in your retirement?
- Prepare a budget for retirement so you won’t get nasty surprises down the track.
- Plan for health and wellbeing in retirement. How will you keep your mind engaged and how will you keep fit and active?
- Talk with your family and friends about the transition to retirement. How will your relationships be different in retirement? Speak with them so nobody is caught surprised by expectations versus reality.
- Keep connected with friends and look at ways to keep social in retirement.
- What are the meaningful things that you want to pursue in retirement? It’s different to everybody but it might be spending more time with grandkids, volunteering, taking a class, or finally pursuing a passion.