Are you ready for retirement?

This is the year many people are retiring since the retirement age for civil servants was raised to 58 years. Just last month two colleagues retired, and yesterday my 2nd boss and another colleague retired...soon my own Director will be retiring in a few weeks time and also another few more colleagues till the end of the year. Which set me thinking...soon it will be my turn...I had better prepare now...though its five more years to go that is, if I remain active and healthy till then. I came across an article on Retirement Blues...perhaps it may help some of you who are in the zone now.
Happy reading.

Getting Over the Retirement Blues. It may be hard to imagine someone being anything but ecstatic to be retired and free to spend their days doing as they wish, but many people do go through some sort of a rough patch when they retire because retirement is a time of adjustment. This article will give you some helpful advice on getting over the retirement blues so you can get on with enjoying this new chapter of your life.

The retirement blues are the result of a few things, like having to say goodbye to a job that you loved and even one that you didn’t. Leaving the workforce can be a rough transition for someone who has spent the last few decades working. All that free time can be overwhelming! Then there’s also the realization that you are indeed retired and yes, aging. We spend every day aging but there’s something about retirement that just really drives it home for some people. Then you’ve also got to adjust to making less money than you’re used to which is even harder if you didn’t have much of a savings set aside for retirement. And for some the blues are a result of retirement not living up to the big romantic picture they had painted of it in their heads. Turns out retirement isn’t one big funny episode of the Golden Girls! It can be stressful and lonely for some. Having the right attitude is the first step in getting over the retirement blues.

If you’re feeling down about aging and feeling like retirement is somehow the end of your life, then it’s time to stop and realize that retirement is actually a whole new beginning and one that you’ve earned after years of working hard. Retirement will be what you make it just like anything else in life. This is your time to try new things and do the stuff that you never had time for before. This doesn’t mean that every minute of your retirement needs to be spent out travelling, salsa dancing or skydiving though! For those of you who romanticized retirement and pictured something more glamorous and exciting, you need to know that it’s okay to just relax and be sometimes. Not every moment needs to be an adventure unless you want it to be—really want it. A few leisurely days spent gardening or having a friend over for tea is to be savoured just as much as a cruise or vacation abroad. Enjoy it—all of it!

For those who are finding things difficult in the financial department you may need to work part time or find some way of earning some extra money. Instead of looking at this as a bad thing you should instead see the positive side which is that you can try something new. Look into jobs at places that you’d always wished you could work or make money doing something you love. Think of your hobbies and see if there’s money to be made selling your crafts, knit scarves or hand carved furniture. The world is your oyster at this point! Getting over the retirement blues is up to you.

http://www.retirementdirectory.com/getting-over-the-retirement-blues.html
Cheers!