Transitioning From Work to Retirement

Retirement marks the end of our working years and welcomes a new phase of life, free from on-the-job demands. And while retirement often brings many joys, it’s also a change that comes with unique stressors.

Many of us prepare for retirement by focusing primarily on finances. We often overlook the emotional aspects of transitioning from work to retirement. But emotional preparation is crucial for easing into retirement because this phase also tends to coincide with age-related stressors, like grief, declining health, and cognitive changes. Such stressors can take a toll on our mental well-being, with nearly one-third of retirees experiencing depression.

Understanding how the milestone change may affect us is crucial for easing into retirement, and helps create a clear retirement roadmap. By thoughtfully planning for retirement, we can uncover ways to support our emotional wellness and seek new opportunities for fulfillment.

Learning to cope with retirement stressors

When transitioning from work to retirement, we might feel excited about our newfound freedom, nervous about the unknowns, or stressed about the challenges ahead. It’s natural to have mixed emotions. While many of us crave work-free days, we may also feel unsure of how we’ll navigate the stressors that can come with transitioning to retirement, including: 

• Living on a fixed or reduced income 
• Lack of daily routine and structure
• Absence of regular interactions with co-workers
• Lost job title or status
• Decreased sense of purpose or accomplishment

Discovering effective ways to identify and manage controllable and uncontrollable stressors can help us fully enjoy the benefits of this new chapter. 

Controllable retirement stressors are those we can change, like our routine, social activity, and goals. Uncontrollable stressors, meanwhile, are often things we can’t influence such as bereavement, aging, and not working with your colleagues every day.

Research shows certain coping strategies work better for controllable versus uncontrollable retirement stressors. For example, acknowledging and feeling our emotions is often most helpful for retirement stressors we can’t control. Instead, we can express our feelings through journaling, art, or movement. Strong emotions tend to fade, which frees up more energy to focus on what we can control, like engaging in volunteer work to ease feelings of isolation or disconnection from your community.

Creating a roadmap for transitioning to retirement 

Knowing how to cope with retirement stressors is the first step toward creating a roadmap for transitioning to retirement. Reflecting on our hopes for retirement can help us prepare for potential challenges. To start, we can ask ourselves: 

• What matters most to me in life outside of my job?
• What do I want my life to look like in retirement?
• Who do I want to spend more time with?
• Who do I want to reconnect with?
• How might I form new relationships?
• Does easing into retirement with part-time work make sense for me?
• How can I contribute or make a difference when I’m retired? 
• How will I take care of my physical and emotional well-being in retirement?
• What are my concerns about retirement?

Next, we can use our responses to write a simple, personalized roadmap. For example: “My family and a sense of accomplishment are important to me. When I retire, I want to babysit my grandson more and fundraise for the park district. I’ll also eat more vegetables and walk a couple miles every day.” Our roadmap can help us cope with retirement stressors, nurture our support networks, and add meaningful structure to our days.

Easing into retirement

Transitioning to retirement is a process, and the adjustment takes time, patience, and trial-and-error learning. Still, it can help to plan out the first week of retirement in advance. As you plan your first week, keep in mind the following tips: 

• Keep a consistent routine. Sticking to regular eating, sleeping, and activity schedules can add structure, stability, and purpose to our days. Remember to schedule time for hobbies to support your mental health.  
• Focus on connection. Engaging in meaningful activities, such as volunteering or expanding our social connections, can help prevent depression in retirement. Because maintaining close relationships is what keeps people happiest after age 65, consider prioritizing activities that strengthen your relationships. Also, talk with loved ones about how they’re adjusting to your retirement. 
• Challenge yourself. Working our brains helps keep aging minds sharp and can bring excitement to our lives. While rest is well-deserved in retirement, challenging activities can be fulfilling. Try to find a balance between learning new things and enjoying more time for rest.