Are you ready to embrace change once retirement is on the horizon?
While a lot of older adults seem happy to finally retire, not a lot of them are ready to embrace change.
Even if they are happy to have more time to themselves and may even be planning a lot of activities and events, there seems to always be something many adults close to retirement forget: they need to be ready for change.
Retirement does not come with all the good things, and not many are well equipped to embrace change as they should! And in the end, it is understandable!
Change is never easy, and as we grow older, everything around us seems to be changing faster and faster; some may even feel like they will never be able to catch up with all of them.
There is a sense of being overwhelmed and many mixed feelings that come around with change, but we need to be able to both accept them and know how to deal with them!
In today’s article, we have brought you some of our best tips for embracing change that we have so that you can welcome retirement and the transition to retirement with open arms and an open heart!
Skip the worrying and go straight into a happy retirement that you can enjoy to the fullest extent.
Are you ready to embrace change once retirement rolls around? Is there anything you fear? Did these tips help you? Answer in the comments!
Accept that there are things you can’t change.
One of the first things that stop you from embracing change, be it when we talk about retirement or not, is the fact that you cannot let go of control.
There is something inside all of us that clings to having control over situations, and when we do not, it can make us spiral.
Railing against the fact that you cannot have control over an event or situation will easily exhaust you, and it will be using your energy in a futile way!
No matter what leads you to retire, as some of us may have to retire earlier, you should do your best to embrace change and the situation as it is. While it can be infuriating, spending your energy on things that are outside of your control is not productive.
The best is to try to refocus all that energy on something else so that you can react to obstacles and change in a better way!
A great way is to look at how you got through tough times in the past and remind yourself that you have the healthy mindset to deal with changes.
Adjust your attitude towards retirement.
Another great thing you can do so that you can embrace change is to change the way you perceive retirement. A lot of adults who are coming up to the age of retirement think of it as a destination, as a goal to achieve, and this means that something is ending when you reach that point.
This can make it feel more challenging than it is and also bring about feelings of uncertainty and shakiness. The best way to adjust your mentality is to think about retirement as a journey that you will be starting instead of a destination.
Give yourself the time to figure out everything related to your retirement without any time constraints. It will make everything seem less daunting, help you embrace change more easily, and also allow space to change your direction if you realize that your retirement plans are different halfway through your thought process.
It also helps to switch your mindset to what you will be gaining by retiring. Sure, it can feel like you are losing a lot of things and stability, but what will you gain? How will retiring make you happier, and what will it allow you to explore that you could not before?
Answer these questions and change your mindset!
Do not discredit transitioning programs.
If you are working for a large company, then you may want to look into or talk with the human resources department to see whether or not they offer retirement transition workshops or retirement planning assistance.
They may seem like silly programs, or you may not think you need them, but it never hurts to make use of all the resources at your disposal.
You can never know when you can learn something new, and learning more about retirement from a professional can only help you in the long run; in the end, even having someone validate your retirement plans is a great boost in embracing the change that will come along with retirement.
If your company does not offer them, then you can look at your local community centers to see if they have any similar programs, and you can also try browsing the internet to see if you can find one!
These programs are great as they will obviously help you navigate and embrace the change and teach you the skills you need to adjust to retirement, but they are also great since they can help you make connections with recent or future retirees.
Strengthen your social network.
Since we have mentioned this in the upper tip, it is important to put emphasis on how important your social network is for embracing change.
It is never easy to navigate changes by yourself, and staying socially connected can ensure that your happiness levels and mental health stay strong.
The challenging part here is that a lot of our adult social circles are reliant on our jobs; it is where we get most of our socialization, and when we retire, they are more or less abruptly cut.
This leads us to not be able to get a healthy socialization in, and it can make retirement look isolated and lonely.
You should strive to keep in touch with your favorite work colleagues even as you retire, and if you meet people at the workshops we have mentioned, you should make a point to keep those connections and future friendships strong.
Not to mention, you should be exploring any chance you have to stay connected to other people, join new activities, and make space for new friendships in your life even as you age.
Start by giving yourself new goals to work towards.
Now that you are leaving the workforce, it may seem like you have nothing to work for anymore, and this can impact the way in which you embrace change when it comes to retirement.
It can seem daunting if you made your professional career something that defined you, so do not let it get you down or even scare you since retirement is not an end to your professional work but rather an extension of your goals.
Create new goals for yourself; they may not be professional goals, but you can tackle them with the same energy, and you can easily refocus your energy toward new goals that will enrich your life and help you work towards the dreams and hopes you set for yourself.
Give yourself new goals and challenges to work towards so that you can keep moving in the direction that makes you happy in life.
If you feel like you would benefit from getting more insight on how you can navigate this transition, we recommend you give this book a read: Transforming Retirement: Rewire and Grow Your Legacy.
Retirement may require you to embrace change, but it can also come with a lot of challenges on the mental health front that many do not expect. To ensure that you do not fall prey to depression, anxiety, or stress in retirement, read all about the best ways to deal with them here!
