Sahar Mourad
Retirement Life

The best ways to adjust to life in retirement

Retirement is what some of us have dreamt of for many years…or are still dreaming of. 

You finally have enough spare time to do whatever you want, you can go try out that cooking class or painting class you’ve always wanted to give a go…basically you have a lot of opportunities.

But often with retirement, we lose our sense of identity and these psychological effects can take a toll on one trying to embrace their new lifestyle. 

Whether you were a chef, teacher, accountant, journalist - that’s in the past. 

When retired, there are a lot of emotions and unusual feelings one experiences. 

Below are five of the feelings you could experience while retired and how to adjust to them.

  1. Expect to go through stages of emotions

That feeling of being on a never ending holiday became a bit of a novelty when retired. 

You begin to feel lost, bored, anxious and unsure of how to process this. 

However, one must embrace these emotions and find a way to deal with them either through walking, reading a book, meditating, yoga. 

  1. Structure your day

There is no more Monday to Friday 9-5 work now that you’re retired and this can throw off your whole routine out the window.

It’s important to begin your new routine and stick to it. 

  1. Set small goals

Just like at work when you had goals to work toward, retirement doesn’t have to be any different.

Have a goal of reading a certain amount of books by the end of the month, meeting new friends, or joining a sports club. 

  1. Grow your friendship group

That lovely person at the cafe you see every morning and want to talk to…why not finally speak to them and maybe you can have coffee together. 

Growing your friendship circle brings joy to one’s life and could be the beginning of even more friendships. 

  1. Get a casual job

No one really said you have to stop working while retired. Why not find yourself a casual job that will keep you busy here and there while making a bit of extra money on the side.

Image: Shutterstock

Tags:
retirment, life, work, fun, emotions, friends