Whether we care about someone who is thinking about retiring, pondering our retirement, preparing for retirement, or already retired we do not lose our need for self-care.
I retired 15 months ago am not an expert of retirement. I am just another 65-year-old who is learning to navigate life without a daily job to pay the bills and fill the calendar. However, I have had many conversations with people who are preparing for, entering, or already retired. They have shared their wisdom and experiences with me and have helped my find may way. For the next few weeks I want to share some of what I have learned from them and from my own experiences.
I want to begin by dispelling some common misunderstandings that I and many others had and have about retirement. It is not all rainbows and sunshine. But neither is it all loneliness and boredom. It is a change, and, to some extent, it brings its share of losses and gains, challenges and opportunities. I have grieved over some of the losses and been pleasantly surprised by the pleasant surprises. In short, do not be too sure that you understand what your retirement will be like. Do not let your fears or expectations cloud your understanding. In many ways, retirement is a foreign land that will reveal itself only when we have begun to explore and experience it.
The modern practice of retirement is a recognition that people’s needs and abilities change as they age or experience a disability. Further, it is a recognition that society is grateful for their service to the community through their lifetime of work. The history of how retirement came about is informative and would warrant a Goggle Search. (See the link below.) However, retirement can be a challenge for folks who derive a large part of their meaning and value from their work. It can be felt as a threat for those of us who like our day to day routines and cannot imagine life without a schedule. Retirement can also be difficult for those whose community is almost entirely work-related. Further, not everyone has the opportunity to choose their retirement. Their employer may adhere to a strict mandatory retirement age which can complicate all of the above and make retirement a major life threat. These situations will offer particular challenges to self-care as we prepare for and enter retirement. I will do my best to remain aware of these in the next few weeks.
Regardless of your circumstances, many folks ask tough questions when the time for retirement appears on the horizon. How do I know I am ready for retirement? Do I really want to make all the changes that retirement requires? What would I do with my days in retirement? What can I do if I do not want to retire? What if my body says “Retire!” but my mind is just not ready? How can I make the most of what I have and still retire?
FYI, I will not be offering financial advice on retirement. Consult a trusted financial adviser as you prepare for retirement.
I retired 15 months ago am not an expert of retirement. I am just another 65-year-old who is learning to navigate life without a daily job to pay the bills and fill the calendar. However, I have had many conversations with people who are preparing for, entering, or already retired. They have shared their wisdom and experiences with me and have helped my find may way. For the next few weeks I want to share some of what I have learned from them and from my own experiences.
I want to begin by dispelling some common misunderstandings that I and many others had and have about retirement. It is not all rainbows and sunshine. But neither is it all loneliness and boredom. It is a change, and, to some extent, it brings its share of losses and gains, challenges and opportunities. I have grieved over some of the losses and been pleasantly surprised by the pleasant surprises. In short, do not be too sure that you understand what your retirement will be like. Do not let your fears or expectations cloud your understanding. In many ways, retirement is a foreign land that will reveal itself only when we have begun to explore and experience it.
The modern practice of retirement is a recognition that people’s needs and abilities change as they age or experience a disability. Further, it is a recognition that society is grateful for their service to the community through their lifetime of work. The history of how retirement came about is informative and would warrant a Goggle Search. (See the link below.) However, retirement can be a challenge for folks who derive a large part of their meaning and value from their work. It can be felt as a threat for those of us who like our day to day routines and cannot imagine life without a schedule. Retirement can also be difficult for those whose community is almost entirely work-related. Further, not everyone has the opportunity to choose their retirement. Their employer may adhere to a strict mandatory retirement age which can complicate all of the above and make retirement a major life threat. These situations will offer particular challenges to self-care as we prepare for and enter retirement. I will do my best to remain aware of these in the next few weeks.
Regardless of your circumstances, many folks ask tough questions when the time for retirement appears on the horizon. How do I know I am ready for retirement? Do I really want to make all the changes that retirement requires? What would I do with my days in retirement? What can I do if I do not want to retire? What if my body says “Retire!” but my mind is just not ready? How can I make the most of what I have and still retire?
FYI, I will not be offering financial advice on retirement. Consult a trusted financial adviser as you prepare for retirement.
Tips
Our first tip is how to deal with the big question everyone must answer for themselves, “How do I know if I am ready to retire?”
To begin with, retirement is not really a choice like buying clothes. It is one possible response that is suggested by what is happening in our lives. Few people simply decide to retire. It is something we accept as a reasonable response to changes happening in our lives. I worked in ministry for 39 years. To the day I retired, I loved being a Pastor and a Hospice Chaplain. But in the last two years I became aware that while I loved being involved in this work, but I did not want to do it anymore. This was a change that I never expected. Many of us come to a point in our working lives when something changes and the joy, the deep commitment, the thrill just seemed to evaporate. For me, I felt it when I found myself lingering in bed and no longer felt the call to ministry dragging me into my day. Others have described similar feelings about the last few years before they retired.
Here are a few questions to help you examine whether you may be ready to retire.
To begin with, retirement is not really a choice like buying clothes. It is one possible response that is suggested by what is happening in our lives. Few people simply decide to retire. It is something we accept as a reasonable response to changes happening in our lives. I worked in ministry for 39 years. To the day I retired, I loved being a Pastor and a Hospice Chaplain. But in the last two years I became aware that while I loved being involved in this work, but I did not want to do it anymore. This was a change that I never expected. Many of us come to a point in our working lives when something changes and the joy, the deep commitment, the thrill just seemed to evaporate. For me, I felt it when I found myself lingering in bed and no longer felt the call to ministry dragging me into my day. Others have described similar feelings about the last few years before they retired.
Here are a few questions to help you examine whether you may be ready to retire.
- Have you started asking yourself if it is time to retire?
- Have you had frequent inner conversations about not going to work recently?
- Do you have the financial resources to maintain an acceptable standard of living without your paycheck?
- Are you feeling drawn into exploring other elements in your life? Relationships? Travel? Hobbies?
- Do you feel your employer values your contribution?
- Do you continue to value your contribution to your employer, profession, business?
- Does your work bring you joy?
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