Retirement is a phase in life that often happens to be a psychosocial process of transition of identity and seeking meaning. It is a recursive process that concerns the intentions, the actions, and their outcomes. New roles, as well as new sub-identities, are associated with an individual in the post-retirement period. This is the time when people start looking for personal meaning through ways that have got nothing to do with their working lives anymore. Losing an identity that you carried for several decades is not easy. Many try to fight the post-retirement identity crisis. Some succeed, some fail. Some effective methods can help you in the process. Some are mentioned below.
Think of Retirement as a New Beginning or a Career Move
The very meaning of retirement has changed in recent times. It’s not the dead-end anymore. Never think of retirement as an ending. Never consider it as a black hole where you are destined to freefall. Rather than sulking over the loss of identity, consider your retirement as a new chapter in your life. Plan something exciting. You can also use this period constructively by looking out for other career options. It can be anything that keeps you busy and creates a new identity for you. Don’t worry if a specific career move is poles apart from what you have done all your life. Think about the upsides if you make a new beginning. The most vital factor is that money will keep flowing in and you wouldn’t have to scratch your head on how to stop your retirement funds from running out.
Start Planning Before You Retire
Don’t wait till the last day of your working life. While you are slowly approaching retirement, start exploring other options to create a new identity for yourself. Utilize the time you have in your hand by putting your hand into many pies. Try out various activities and gain experiences from them. The more you get involved in other work, the better you can determine what your next career move would be. Never lose hope if some don’t work. There will be a lot of things that will work for you. Failure would also be a part of your experience and you will be able to make constructive decisions later on. Moreover, throughout this period, you will be gaining more confidence and staying away from those that don’t suit your personality.
What to Tell Others?
There are a lot of people out there who hate to tell people that they are retiring, owing to the fear of losing one’s own identity. Tell people that you are rewiring. Transitioning into the next stage of life is exactly what you are looking forward to. Retirement is a great time when you acquire the necessary tools to get past everything that is proving to be a hindrance on your path to success.
Ignore What Others Think
Life doesn’t stay the same for everyone. It’s all about changes. Retirement is just a phase of life and nothing more than that. People will always have their own opinions. You won’t be able to change that. So, let go of them. You can’t please everyone every time. Instead of wasting time thinking about what others will think, say, or do. The people who talk behind your back and say certain things should not hold that much importance. If you allow others’ opinions to get the better of you, then it’s your loss. Think on positive lines and make the best possible decisions moving forward. It’s you who will decide what you want to be in your life.
Drop Your Mask
How much of your true personality have you been carrying throughout your working years and how much of it have you been hiding behind a mask? Have you been able to express your real identity all these years? It’s time you ask this question to yourself. Retirement is a very good opportunity for you to get out of your previous identity and get into a new one. Explore who you are at your core. Realize your essence and find ways to reveal that in front of the world.
You should work towards creating a brand-new version of yourself in your retirement. After you do that, you wouldn’t have to fear what lies ahead. Aside from that, you wouldn’t have to worry about a loss of identity.