56% of Americans lose sleep when thinking about retirement. Many Americans struggle to save money for retirement, and Social Security remains in jeopardy. We spend years planning for retirement; of course, as the date grows nearer and nearer, you may feel apprehensive and nervous.
What are a few tips for people closing in on their third act to help them reframe retirement, take a proactive approach, and sleep a little easier at night?
The following links are affiliate links, meaning if you purchase any of these items using my links, I will receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. You can read the full disclaimer here.
Relieve Retirement Anxiety
Elizabeth Zelinka Parsons is a Retirement Transition Expert from Tuscon, AZ, and Author of “Encore: A High Achiever’s Guide to Thriving in Retirement,” and she shares three tips for relieving retirement anxiety.
Elizabeth Zelinka Parsons, J.D., is a Retirement Transition Expert, lawyer, and co-founder of two consulting firms, Zelinka Parsons and Encoraco. A magna cum laude graduate of Georgetown University Law Center and summa cum laude graduate of James Madison University, Elizabeth has spent over two decades shaping professional development and transition strategies for legal professionals. A former attorney at Milbank, she built a national consulting firm assisting AmLaw 100 firms with talent solutions.
“If you know you’re anxious about retiring and march yourself into it anyway, there’s a real risk you will experience a number of debilitating symptoms, the least of which is a loss of sleep,” says Elizabeth, “By re-framing retirement and taking a proactive approach, you can turn retirement anxiety into genuine excitement about what’s possible in the future.”
1) Think Graduation
Retirement can be brimming with opportunity, but not if we’re filled with fear. We suggest reframing retirement from a looming time of contraction to one of expansion like one might feel at their school graduation when completion naturally flows into new and exciting opportunities. The focus is now on what’s possible, having already achieved so much, instead of what is being left behind.
2) Avoid the Void
People who do nothing but work right up until retirement can end up feeling like they’re walking into a void. We suggest a gentle and manageable glide into the future, instead of a full sprint into the great unknown. This involves tapering down one’s professional work and ramping up time invested in one’s future endeavors beginning a year to eight months ahead of one’s retirement date.
3) Try on a “Possible Self”
For those nearing retirement, the impending loss of their successful identities can feel like an approaching avalanche. We suggest trying on a new “possible self,” one where we build on our current strengths, inhabit new mindsets — such as contribution instead of success, student instead of expert, and creator instead of reactor — and take incremental steps in the direction of who we want to become in our next chapter.
Read More:
- I Don’t Want to Work Anymore: Next Steps for Those Who Don’t Want to Work
- I’m a Frugal Living Expert: 5 Ways I Recommend Retirees on a Budget To Save Money
- Boomers in Retirement Should Consider Trying These 10 Cheap and Fulfilling Hobbies
