Last Updated on Mar 11, 2020 by James W
Retirement can be unexpectedly stressful for many people. This article explores this in detail and provides suggestions on what you should do to reduce the degree of stress you may suffer when the time comes to leave your job and put your feet up.
Who knew retirement could be stressful? When most of us think about retiring – usually long before we get there – we dream of long days where we don’t have to get up to the shrill sound of an alarm clock. We dream of being able to do exactly what we want to do for once. We think about everything we want to do and not having to worry about anything at all.
Yet for some the reality of retirement can be very different from this. The sooner we get to the day when we will finally retire, the more likely it is that we will experience some degree of stress. This is perfectly natural but there are things you can do to reduce the amount of stress you feel. After all this should be a good time in your life – a time you have prepared and saved for.
This brings us to the financial side of things. Quite often finances can be a major source of stress for people who are on the verge of retiring or who have recently done so. The best way to combat this kind of stress is to get on top of it before it has a chance to materialize in the first place. For example you should keep regular tabs on your investments and your pension to make sure they are performing as well as they can do. Look into transferring pension funds if they are not performing well so you can improve on their performance by the time you need to draw on them.
Another potential source of stress is from having lots of time on your hands. Not having a hugely busy life any more is a great thing for many people, but for some the lack of things to do can send them in completely the opposite direction. The best antidote to this situation is to plan for it in advance. Perhaps you are starting to see a pattern here, being as we have already focused on planning your finances and transferring pension funds if appropriate.
In truth there is a lot to be said for pre-planning. If you simply look on your retirement as a time for rest and relaxation you will be bored after the first week or two. It pays to have a hobby or two or some kind of timetable to stick to, even when you are not working. For example some retirees go for a walk every day with their dog, or simply to get some exercise. Others meet up with friends once or twice a week at a particular time. Still more join clubs or have other regular arrangements to slot into their timetable. You can do this too.
Of course there is a lot to be said for freedom and making a few things up as you go along. But it makes sense to reduce the amount of stress you may feel at this time in your life as well. The more you can do this the more you will enjoy your twilight years.
