Retirement is a big step. Regardless of the circumstances that got you to this point, it is a major life event. Careful and deliberate planning for retirement is certainly the wise thing to do. However, the specifics of planning for retirement often miss the full picture of what retirement entails.
Retirement involves both changes and transitions. As consultant and corporate trainer Paul Pexioto points out on his YouTube channel, changes deal with external things such as finances and living arrangements while transitions deal with internal things such as emotional and psychological concerns. “Our tendency,” Pexioto says, “is to plan for the changes and not plan for the transitions.” As a result, most people will think they have fully planned for retirement when they have saved sufficient funds to support their desired lifestyle for the rest of their non-working life. However, after retirement, psychological issues quickly become front and center.
The initial phase of retirement can be very exciting and invigorating. Plans and trips that have been put off are all of a sudden a go. The literature refers to this as “the honeymoon period.” This was very much true with my retirement. As a longtime fan of Mordecai Richler and Leonard Cohen, I had always wanted to visit Montreal, but work and other more “substantial” vacations kept superseding those plans. But within 30 days of retiring, I took a weeklong trip to the City of Saints. It was as fun and interesting a trip as I always hoped it would be—well worth the wait.
However, the period after the “honeymoon phase” can be very deflating. This is when the full reality of the transition becomes very clear. “This stage of retirement is when the initial excitement wears off,” according to healthpartners.com, “and you may experience feelings of boredom or disappointment. This can sometimes lead to depression.”
Depression is a very common byproduct of retiring. “Almost 1 in 3 retirees,” according to webmd.com, “say they feel depressed.” The cause of this depression can be attributable to this new transition. “The truth is that no matter how much you’ve been looking forward to it,” write Lawrence Robinson and Melinda Smith, M.A., in helpguide.org. “retiring from work is a major life change that can bring stress and depression.”
And this depression can manifest itself in many different forms. For example, casual drinking can develop into problem drinking. And the newly available and unoccupied time can lead to negative self-reflection regarding regrets and unresolved life issues.
In addition, a lack of mental stimulation can emerge as a new problem after retirement. Also, the absence of regular interaction with work colleagues can lead to feelings of social isolation.
However, the most common manifestations of depression in retirement are the absence of a routine and the loss of identity.
For many people, work has been the organizing factor in their life. What time they got up in the morning; had their meals; the length and timing of vacations; and when to sleep at night were all dictated by the structure of their work. The disappearance of this organizing life concept can leave a lot of people feeling untethered and lost.
In addition, this loss of habits can cause myriad problems. In the absence of the structure of a daily routine, you may have the time to obsessively ruminate about financial concerns, and possible health and cognitive decline. All of which can lead to depression.
Your work may also have been a big part of your identity. For several decades, your professional life may have been your self-definition. In addition, your social life may have been an outgrowth from your professional/working life. Often, all of that changes with retirement.
“If your previous role was your entire identity, you’re in trouble,” says Arthur C. Brooks in an interview in Atlantic magazine. “There has been research on the tendency for people with a lot of prestige and power to become depressed when they retire.”
And retirement can last many years. As Forbes.com points out, a retiree at age 65 can expect to live another 17 to 20 years. So, an effective strategy to deal with these mental health challenges is an important thing to develop.
One method is to seek help from a qualified mental health professional. But there are other DIY methods you may want to explore.
In reviewing websites and other resources, I found that a common method for countering post-retirement depression is engagement. For example, volunteering is a type of engagement that can address a lot of concerns that arise.
“Studies show that seniors who incorporate a low to medium level of volunteering in their life,” according to verywellmind.com,” report more satisfaction with life and fewer symptoms of depression than those who didn’t volunteer.” And of the great things about volunteering is there is no set way to do it. It truly is customized to the individual who is doing the volunteering. For example, my volunteering involves writing and editing for SLD.
Volunteering can help you redefine your identity while providing mental stimulation and new routines. It can also aid in countering social isolation by creating new opportunities for socialization.
So, it is important to view retirement not as a final static destination but rather as a series of opportunities to engage in life. And there are as many ways to engage in life as there are retirees.
