Ready, Set, Go?

What can we expect and how can we best prepare for the years following retirement? Since we are all different, not only in human characteristics but also in work experience and family situations, a comprehensive prep list is nearly impossible. However, the following areas are worth considering as you prepare for this significant transition in your lifestyle:

  1. If you are married, you may notice increased feelings of tension between you and your spouse. Things have changed since your honeymoon days, when your sole desire was to be with your beloved 24 hours a day. Though you may still enjoy one another's company, you may have come to appreciate the freedom of "your own space." You have probably grown accustomed to saying goodbye in the morning and sharing the day's happenings after a late afternoon return home. When two individuals are suddenly thrown together 24/7 each with well-established habits is it any wonder that nerves become taut? As you prepare for retirement, try to build in some of the freedom you and your mate formerly enjoyed. Plan individual activities or hobbies that will absorb a portion of the time once spent in your former vocation.
  2. An empty restless feeling is a distinct possibility for retirees. Routine is the name of the game for most of us. Our bodies enjoy the regulating rhythm of an established "early to bed, early to rise" (perhaps it's the opposite for you!) regime of eight-hour days. Added pleasure is found in a predictable gathering of friends and/or co-workers. A sudden change to the usual can send your nervous system into a whirl. Now is the time to begin planning activities to fill the vacuum. You may even choose to consider a gradual transition by going from full to part-time work.
  3. Disappointment has a way of erasing the happy smile that many advertisements portray on the face of the recent retiree. One of the myths prevalent in today's culture is that happiness is the natural outgrowth of a leisurely life packed with an abundance of toys. Yet quite the opposite is true. We find the ultimate satisfaction not it getting, but in giving. Remove the opportunity for giving once found in occupation and an individual may be left struggling with an empty, worthless feeling. It's not too soon to start thinking of creative ways to transform the time, experience, resources and abilities once used to elevate your lifestyle to enhancing the lives of others. Dozens of non-profit organizations depend on volunteers to carry out their mission. Giving of yourself will restore a feeling of worth with the grateful smiles of recipients creating the icing on the cake.
  4. Depression can be the natural outgrowth of a mindset that views reaching retirement age as the apex of your life with everything that follows labeled the "downhill slope." It happens when we mentally picture this juncture as the destination, rather than a way station on our journey through life. We often see aging and retirement as the point where all learning ceases and worthwhile activities grind to a halt. In reality, this stage signals a change from enforced labor to the freedom to follow previously unexplored paths of opportunity. The so-called "golden years" can become the most productive and satisfying years of your life. This might be the time to take dreams once shelved because of time constraints and turn them into reality.
  5. Nostalgia is the result of living in the past. It comes naturally to those who point with pride to past accomplishments as their "claim to fame." They long for the accolades that once were theirs and love to regale acquaintances with tales from their glory years. Beneath the surface, however, may lie feelings of having missed the opportunity to "grab the ring." Accompanying this is a loss of self-esteem as one mentally compares himself with others. There is no harm in looking back over your shoulder or enjoying fond memories of the past. However, life is much more exciting when we fix our eyes on the future, focusing on accomplishments still awaiting us.

The Golden Years have a way of becoming tarnished and eroded. It takes elbow grease and perseverance to do the polishing necessary to keep this natural deterioration from occurring. Don't give up; eventually the glow will become so pervasive that others will notice and ask you to reveal your secret. Plan ahead it is an investment that will pay big dividends and you just might end up improving your corner of the world.

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