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Key points
- The transition to retirement doesn't have to be so difficult or scary.
- Staying involved and giving back to one's community is one way to stay engaged after retirement.
- Reaching the peak of one's career is an invitation to set a new goal.
As the number of millennials in the workplace increases, the number of baby boomers retiring from work also increases. This change is becoming more evident as millennials are progressively holding top corporate positions while baby boomers are increasingly retiring or reaching retirement age. This new reality is generating attention to the state of mind of individuals who are at or approaching retirement age.
The word “retirement” has a different meaning for some people, especially those who are at retirement age. Some perceive retirement as a time to kick back, put their feet up, and enjoy the fruits of their labor. Some view retirement as a time to travel the world, see new places, and experience different cultures. Some characterize it as a time to play golf or go fishing more often. Others find their time being directed by a “honey do” list. Some even use retirement to do volunteer work for different charities as a way to give back to the community. Some are motivated to open their own business after retirement. Others prefer to do absolutely nothing related to work, instead taking time to catch up on reading, TV shows, and movies. Of course, for many people, retirement offers the opportunity to spend more time with children, grandchildren, or other relatives.
While retirement can be a blessing, it may also be a source of anxiety, especially for people who aren’t looking forward to it and don’t have a plan for what to do in retirement. For those who have worked for the same line of business for decades, the transition to retirement may be unsettling. After spending many years doing the same kind of work, the prospect of sitting at home and doing very little may have limited appeal. The loss of contact with co-workers may leave retirees struggling with loneliness. Some might even fear dying early as a result of inactivity in their life. Whether a person looks forward to retirement as a time of new opportunities or dreads it as a time of purposelessness is largely a matter of perspective.
For new perspectives on retirement, try looking at this special time of life through the following lenses.
1. Humanize the way you view retirement.
The way you perceive things determines how you respond to them because perspective is everything. The old analogy of whether the glass is half-empty or half-full comes to mind. No matter how much or little you have accomplished in life, there comes a time to slow down and smell the roses.
The idea of retiring or transitioning into something new can be frightening. Yet, for most adults who have participated in the workforce, retirement is a natural developmental milestone. No matter how you look at it, it is an honor to even come to a place of qualifying for retirement, either by age, by acquiring wealth early in life, or by other qualifying circumstances. So, such an idea and honor ought to be embraced and accepted for what it is.
Another way of overcoming the dread of retiring is by reframing the word “retirement” to “transition.” After all, life is full of transitions. Transition is part of life—it’s a marker of growth and the seasons of life. Embracing retirement as an indicator of a new beginning is a good way to humanize this special time of life. Transitioning into a post-full-time work phase of life can be perceived as moving from one experience to a more exciting frontier, moving from the mundane world of work to a more meaningful arena.
2. Feel a sense of accomplishment.
Having a sense of accomplishment is psychologically healthy, even more so when you experience gratitude for life’s blessings. It relaxes the muscles and puts the body at ease. One of the ways to practice gratitude is to simply reflect on all the good things that have happened to you. Take time to write down as many blessings as you can possibly remember. Make an honest effort not to let your mind wander into all the not-so-good things that might have come your way in life.
For one thing, the very fact that you are alive despite all the challenges you have encountered is significant because, without life, nothing else matters. So, experiencing gratitude in its grandeur is a humbling exercise. And finding ways to express gratitude, either by verbalizing it or living it through volunteering, is worth experiencing.
3. Stay active and relevant.
Staying mentally, physically, and socially active is an important part of living a wholesome life. It is an ongoing process throughout a person’s lifetime. This is especially important because the human brain is a social organ and always longs for human connection. Getting involved in the activities of life, whether through volunteering with different charity organizations, coaching a high school football/soccer/swimming team, or joining a retirees’ group, keeps you alive and relevant. Reading is another activity that strengthens the human brain and even delays the development of certain neurological diseases. After all, joining a book club wouldn’t be a bad idea.
Simply put, staying alive requires movement in the sense of looking forward to something new on a daily basis. Engaging in activities can make you come alive and give you something to look forward to each day. In other words, staying hopeful is, in itself, an activity of the mind and can be expressed through community engagement and other useful means of involvement.
To sum up, retirement from full-time work is definitely a big change, one that ought to be acknowledged and celebrated. However, sometimes people resist change—in this case, the transition to retirement—finding it overwhelming and paralyzing because of the way it is perceived. Therefore, it may help to take a new look at retirement. Once you start humanizing the way you view the concept of retirement, embracing a sense of accomplishment, and staying active and relevant, everything else is icing on the cake.
In conclusion, enjoy your retirement as a natural transition with humility and grace. After all, you earned it, and you deserve to make the most of the opportunities it brings. And remember to encourage the millennials to enjoy life while going through it because retirement is a natural phenomenon—and their time will come sooner than they think.
References
Fry, R. (2020). Millennials overtake Baby Boomers as America’s largest generation, https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2020/04/28/millennials-overtake…
