HOW TO PREPARE EMOTIONALLY FOR RETIREMENT

You’ve worked hard for decades, and now you’re planning your well-deserved retirement. This is a major life transition, and it won’t always be easy, but it can be the best time of your life.

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The Germans introduced the concept of retirement in 1889 to address high levels of unemployment in youth, by paying workers 70 years and older to leave the workforce. Many other countries did the same, and acceptable retirement age became anything from 65 to 70 years old. In 1889, the average lifespan was between 42 and 48 years; today,

the average lifespan is 79 years or more. We are living longer, and retirement is not quite the same as it was centuries ago. When it comes to your golden years, there are many things to consider, especially the psychological effects it could have if your work has been very people-focused. Perhaps you’ve been working as a teacher, a sales representative, in healthcare or a store manager for the last 40 years, or you’ve managed a team of people. You have most likely felt a sense of accomplishment in your work, and your identity has been closely linked to your work status. You’ve dealt with colleagues, suppliers, customers and students on a daily basis and you’ve formed special relationships, which are the key to life-long contentment. So, what do you do when that all changes, and you need to redefine your identity based on your new reality?

Sheldon Brandt, a Cape Town-based clinical psychologist with 20 years’ working experience, has the following advice:

“Make new friendships and rekindle old ones that might have suffered due to work.”

Related article: How to Plan for Retirement



KEEP YOURSELF BUSY
While planning your retirement and when you are newly retired, it could be quite exciting to have all this time on your hands to do the things you’ve been dreaming of (reorganising your house, catching up on all the series you’ve missed, spending more time with the grandkids), but after six months the reality of your new situation will kick in.

Brandt says, ‘People underestimate how difficult it is to fill eight hours when there is no fixed structure to your day.’ The key to staying sane is to maintain a certain level of structure for every day, such as getting up at the same time, doing stretches, eating breakfast with your partner, working on a new hobby, going for a walk, etc. ‘The pandemic has given us some insight into how quickly and easily we can become disorganised,’ he adds. With all this extra time on your hands, why not get involved in your community by joining a local charity group or helping out at a children’s home?



KEEP YOUR MIND SHARP
When you were going to work every day, you had plenty of mental stimulation. Now you need to keep your brain sharp in other ways. ‘Start a second job, something simple that provides a source of income and keeps you busy, such as baking for the local café or mentoring younger people,’ Brandt suggests. Do lots of puzzles, sudoku and crosswords. Set short-term and long-term goals to work towards, such as walking a bit further every day (short-term) and saving for that renovation (long-term).

KEEP YOUR SOCIAL SKILLS ALIVE
Remember that this second phase of your life is not just about kicking back and doing nothing. Sure, you’ll have a lot more time to relax, but you’ll find that your social network will diminish when you leave the workforce, as you would have spent a lot of time with your colleagues. Brandt says, ‘Now is the time to invest in your personal life – whether it’s spiritual, health-related or social. Make new friendships and rekindle ones that might have suffered due to your work.’ For decades your focus was largely on your work, and now it’s time to expend your energy on pursuing new passions, volunteering and trying fun, new activities. The key to a happy retirement is to find something that provides meaning in your life.

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