Once you’ve spent decades earning a living, you might find it difficult to make the switch to retirement. If you drew a great deal of fulfillment from your work, then it’s only natural to feel a little lost or even depressed when you come to give it up. One report from the Institute of Economic Affairs, for example, claimed that the rate of clinical depression increases by around 40% among retirees.
So, what are we to do to soften the blow? There are a number of strategies we might consider. Some of them focus on self-care; others are a little more practical. Longevity Live Paid Content.
Keep your emotions in check
Coming home from work for the last time might stir up some unexpected thoughts and feelings. The same might be said of the first Monday of your retirement. You shouldn’t put pressure on yourself to feel a certain way, and you might anticipate feeling a few negative emotions, too. If you’re feeling down, then you might consider seeking professional help – or doing things to keep yourself occupied, and socially active. Make sure that you have some face-to-face time with other people, ideally in places that don’t involve alcohol. Taking up a sport might be exactly what’s needed.
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Get your finances in order
Having to contend with money-related stress can make life particularly challenging. There are a few things you might do to ease the financial burden. You might sell your existing home in order to downsize, pocketing the difference. Equally, you might get access to some cash by learning about how equity release works!
Set goals
Having an objective on the horizon can help you to feel better about things. Take up a hobby, and set yourself some goals in the short or medium term. That way, you’ll have a sense of progress and achievement. You might think of this as a replacement for work, except you’ll be choosing the activity. You might, for example, elect to start writing that novel you’d always intended to tackle. Or, you might take up woodworking, and build that TV cabinet you’ve always wanted.
Learn about technology
Your retirement might be made a lot more convenient and fulfilling with the help of a few choice pieces of technology. Voice assistants, home automation, e-readers, Python – they can all be valuable tools. That’s before you even consider the vast library of video games out there, ready to be enjoyed!
Who is the author?
Lily King
Lily King is a content writer from the UK with a passion for writing about Business and Marketing. Her work has been published on a wide range of sites covering a variety of topics.
