Psychological effects of disengagement from a work life and the transition to retirement are discussed. These effects include:

a. Loss of Job/Career and the Development of a Retirement/Life Structure

What people miss the most in the early months of retirement is structure.

Re-evaluating this new phase in life that may need role reversal i.e aspects of their former life structure that were peripheral may now become more central (e.g., recreational activities, hobbies, and volunteering). This adjustment may also involve stressful challenges, such as choosing from among many options (e.g., “What should I or can I do with all this time on my hands?”).

Finding truly meaningful engagement in retirement may take longer than expected. Making these adjustments prior to the transition can reduce stress and anxiety. Retirement preparation can be done gradually and thereby lessen the stress of facing the task at the point of retirement.

b. Partial Identity Disruption

The transition to retirement is made more difficult by the fact that, particularly for men, important parts of retirees’ identities are shaped by their jobs. For those with highly skilled and management careers, the loss of their status can leave them feeling unlike themselves. It is important that a person has formed an identity that is composed of several roles before retirement. Some of the non-job aspects of an identity usually continue to sustain a person’s identity, to some extent, during the transition (e.g., mother, father, sportsman or sportswoman, activist, volunteer, mentor etc.).This problem sometimes crops up at social gatherings when meeting people for the first time. At these affairs, people looking for conversational openings often ask each other, “What kind of work do you do?” Be sure to respond in a positive way such as “I am an experienced accountant with over 30 years experience in the xxxxx”

c. Loss of Friendships in Retirement and Relocation

Although we like to scoff at the idea that we love our jobs, work plays an important role in our lives. It provides us with a sense of purpose and accomplishment and, of course, a place to go in the morning. For many of us, our workplace is our home away from home, the place where we spend time with a network of friends and colleagues. That network tends to dissolve quickly when you retire and step out of the working world.

So it’s not surprising that many retirees say that they miss work—or at least, they miss the friends and shared experiences that they had at work.

Moving from where one has lived and raised a family over time to live close to family in another geographical locality can lead to the loss of supportive friendships. Although retirees may make new friends, they will not have a shared history like the network of friends established over years in their former place of residence. These social connections and friendships can provide a rich source of relationships that nurtures and supports people in stressful times so it is important to maintain such relationships for as long as possible.

d. End of Life Anxiety

The subtlety of displaced end of life anxiety can appear as anxiety related to objects and situations that have no apparent connection to the end of one’s life. Postretirement depression may sometimes function as an anticipation of the ultimate end of existence.

For most workers, retirement is concurrent with aging. The final phase of existence has begun. The end of life, that has been distant for so long, has begun to come more clearly into view, thus making suppression of awareness of human mortality more difficult to ignore.

Meaningful activities and human relationships are two important ways of pursuing what life has to offer rather than being overcome by end of life anxiety. Meaningfully engagement in life is crucial for a well-adjusted retirement.

Retaining and/or developing friendships in retirement is important. Having friends can contribute to life satisfaction in retirement.

e. Loneliness

When was the last time you asked a new retiree how they we’re doing and they replied, “I’m feeling all alone and like no one cares?” This is another often-dismissed feeling because retirement is supposed to be the Promised Land, where you only have to care about your golf score or the time of your spa appointment. Yet, there are other feelings: feeling down, unaccomplished, alone and lonely. Like life is moving on without their contribution.

That seems incomprehensible to people who are still working, or who haven’t experienced it yet. But it happens on a regular basis, and for a number of reasons. Work creates self-worth, physical and mental exercise, friendship, and sense of belonging. Usually a lack of friendships is the most detrimental ingredient to this feelings, especially for men who used to have lots of work friends and acquaintances. Most of those relationships were tied to the workplace and work functions. They never made plans to hang out or get together after they retired, and now that the work is gone, so is their social network. 

This feeling can also come about as a result of downsizing, re-locating to a new neighborhood or another state, or being the first of your family or friends to retire. So what can new and soon-to-be retirees do about mental challenges? You have to come to terms with the fact that you’re not alone, or what you’re going through is some anomaly. Lots of people have shared similar situations with you. They all found comfort in being able to talk about it, and in helping others become aware of the challenges they may face. Retirees don’t have to be in a rush to change things. Adjusting to retirement takes time and practice. As you proceed through it you’ll learn how to handle thoughts and feelings just as you did when you got married, had your first child, or purchased your first home. Take a moment to reflect on all the thoughts and feelings that came with those experiences, and how you learned to manage them over time.

It’s also important to point out that you’re in control and responsible for your feelings. If you want to change them, you have to do something different. Whether it’s reaching out to family and friends instead of just hoping they’ll call, signing up for a yoga or writing class, or re-branding yourself through volunteer opportunities, retirement requires you to be exactly what you have been trained to do: Be productive!

There is no doubt that many people will experience these mental challenges, as well as others, which makes it important to not only identify them, but to also share your story and solutions for overcoming them. It’s all part of the ever-changing retirement puzzle that you’ll surely figure out just as you have done with all the other things life has thrown at you. It’s what makes life and retirement a journey instead of a destination.