My journey into retirement: the processing

During the past 5 months I have needed to process a number of things as I have journeyed further into retirement. And I think this occurs with any major change we adjust to, although there will be different issues for different people and different circumstances.

These are the things I have needed to process.

Giving up guilt

I was surprised at how guilty I initially felt about no longer being in the paid workforce. There are so many messages out there about us baby boomers being an upcoming problem, and that people need to work until they are 70 years old.

But then I applied a reality check -- my peers and cousins are retiring, systems don't support people working until they are older, I was unable to keep up the pace of full-time work and I had put lots of savings into Superannuation, so was not a burden on society.

Needing to heal emotionally and psychologically

Once I departed from the paid work-force I realised that I had been like the frog in water, who had not noticed the gradual heating of the liquid, and was now damaged by paddling in boiling water (systemic work stress) for too long (or, burnt by the journey). Thus I found myself experiencing trauma reactions that needed to be allowed reactions and then processing and healing.

Needing to replenish

After many years of constant giving, I was fairly jaded and found that I needed time out just to rest and regroup through engaging in non-threatening and familiar tasks, and avoiding challenges if possible. I am not yet quite ready to take on new tasks that involve risk-taking.

Using transition tasks and interests

Before I retired I consciously ensured that I was spending some time in non paid-work related activities so that these could continue as familiar parts of my day, rather than facing more major changes once I left the work force. For now, I am concentrating on growing these rather than taking on new and totally unfamiliar activities I am thankful that I chose to do this as I had not understood the amount of adjusting I would need to do to take on this new life-style. It is not just one big holiday!

Putting more balance into living/ being

It is very easy to substitute paid work activities with home activities and still not achieve a healthy work/ life balance. So I have needed to consciously find ways of "being" instead of just "doing", and it is especially good when they can both occur together.

So that's how it has been for me so far, and I like this quote from Hal Borland:

Year's end is neither and end nor a beginning but a going on, with all the wisdom that experience can instil in us.