Friends,

I retired from banking job 5 years ago. It was expected as one day you retire from that very job.

Retirement is one of those major life milestones that mark the ending of one chapter and the start of another.

Many experts suggested that we should think of retirement more expansively. Yes, I had done my homework accordingly. I have made financial planning to ensure enough income to meet my financial requirement.

 But what missed that I did not get ready for retirement psychologically. I was a bit nervous to think about retirement.

 Yes, I was feeling like a fish out of water. However,  I explained to myself that many people retire every year; I am not alone.

Secondly, it is a very good chance that we will live and enjoy one-third of our life in retirement. So it is important that we have a heads up to face the significant psychological changes and challenges that come with it. 

 I was really having some challenges with retirement. One day a thought came to my mind —  how do I squeeze all that juice out of retirement? Although the juice has already been squeezed by the Bank in the service tenure….ha ha ha .

After retirement,  I was busy enough in developing my hobbies,  but I really did not feel that I was doing very much that was significant in our retired life.

I was really struggling. I had enough experience of what success looked like, in a working career .but when it came to my retirement, it was fuzzier for me.

I, therefore, dug deeper and what I discovered was pertaining much to retirement.  Of course, they were important but just not what I was looking for.   I came in contact with dozens of retirees and I asked them the question, how do you squeeze all the juice out of retirement?

After spending 5 years of my retirement, What I discovered was that there should be a framework that can help make sense of a better life in retirement.

  That is what I want to share with you today. There are four distinct phases of retirement that most of us come across in retirement life.

Although, it is not always a smooth ride. You will soon realize which phase you are in if you are retired.

Phase one: Most gratifying and satisfying.

This is the most gratifying, and satisfying of the four phases, and that is where you can squeeze all the juice out of retirement.

Yes, Phase one is the vacation phase, and that is the time you do what you wish to do.  You wake up when you want; you do what you want all day.

And the best part is that there is no set routine for most people, phase one represents their view of an ideal retirement. Relaxing, having fun in the sun, and feeling freedom.  I enjoyed that phase for two years as well.

But then strangely it begins to lose its luster. We begin to feel a bit bored.  We feel like missing the routine we had before retirement, and something in us seems to need one.

We ask ourselves is that all these are enough for a retired life.   Now when these thoughts and feelings start to bubble up, you realize that you have moved into phase two.

 Phase Two : Feeling lost something in life.

Phase two is when we feel lost something in life it is when we lose the big five things, —

Yes, these are significant losses that are associated with retirement.

We lose that routine of service life,

we lose a sense of identity.

we lose many of the relationships that we had established at work.

We lose a sense of purpose in life

And for some people like me, there is a loss of power. We feel powerless after retirement.

We did not see these losses coming in because they precipitated. It is traumatic. Phase two is also knocked when we face with the three things– depression, anxiety and elderly diseases and we feel down both physically and mentally . Because of this, we feel like a bus has hit us strongly. 

Yes,  phase two is full of fear, anxiety, and quite even depression, that is just all facing in retired life.

Now is the time we have to buckle up and get ready with the new thought, and new initiative.

Fortunately, at this point most of us ask to ourselves, — Hey, I cannot go on like this.  We do not want to spend the rest of our life what we are facing today. And then we have turned the corner into phase three.

 Phase three : The time for Trial & Error

Phase three is the time for trial and error. we ask ourselves — how can we make our life meaningful again? How can I enjoy life to the fullest?

 We find the simple answer, to do things you love to do.  That will give you a state of full enjoyment.

In my case, I love to write,  so I created a website for blogging. Although I have limited success.  But I am trying and experimenting with other hobbies as well.

What I feel is that I am enjoying my third phase of retirement life with many hobbies like poem writing,  blogging and creative artwork. 

Phase four : Time to reinvent & rewire.

Not everyone breaks through to phase four,(Age 80+) but those who do so are the luckiest people.

 This is a time to reinvent and rewire yourself.. In this stage, retirees are settled into a fun and rewarding retirement lifestyle.

Health conditions may be more challenging during at this stage. So retirees focus on maintaining their health and independence, sometimes by moving to retirement communities where they can age in a place with access to healthcare, amenities, activities, and friends nearby.

Friends,

Like with any major transition in life, retirement comes with an entire array of emotions and worries.

But if we thoughtfully plan for our transition to take care of ourselves both financially and emotionally, we can help ease the overwhelming emotions of this significant life transition. We can spend more time enjoying our new life to the fullest.

What do you feel?

Please click below the link for previous blog

BE HAPPY….BE ACTIVE….BE FOCUSED….BE ALIVE…

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Categories: motivational