Ask the experts: How do I prepare for retirement?

Are you approaching retirement? Life and career change coach Sema Rubins helps you prepare for this new chapter

What are some common challenges people face when retiring?

When approaching retirement, people dream of what it would be like to not have to get up to go to work every day, and to do whatever they want! Sadly, all too often, the reality can be quite different. Common challenges are:

• Loneliness. Without the social contact work brings, you may feel isolated – especially if you live alone, whether by choice, or due to bereavement or divorce.

• Disorientation and loss of purpose. Without work, people can feel disorientated, and that they don’t know how to be useful anymore.

• Boredom. The lack of structure to one’s day can make finding meaningful activities a struggle. The fear of boredom can often be more debilitating than the reality!

I feel anxious about retirement – is this normal?

Yes, feeling anxious about retirement is completely normal. There are five phases of retirement, and when you are in phases two and three, this is when panic and anxiety often hit.

1. Pre-retirement: the lead-up, the planning phase, the ‘It’s going to be so great’ phase.

2. Full retirement: reality. Nowhere that you have to go or be every day.

3. Disenchantment: slight dissatisfaction, maybe even boredom.

4. Re-orientation: getting used to the emptier days, enjoying the newfound freedom, settling into a new routine that works for you, and starting to feel fulfilled again.

5. Reconciliation and stability: life is good again. You have recalibrated, and found what makes you happy and gives you purpose.

As with any change, anxiety is completely normal, as it is a fear of the unknown. But when you make it through phases two and three, you will start to adjust, re-orientate, and hopefully enjoy this last third of your life!

How can coaching help me navigate the transition to retirement?

Approaching any change in life is frightening, but having a positive mindset and a plan can be instrumental in making the transition to retirement smoother. Coaching can help you rediscover what you enjoy in life, and redefine your purpose – whether it be looking for another way to fill your days, or purely to accept and enjoy the extra time you now have.

The accountability that a coach offers can help you stay on track while making decisions, but, most importantly, it can help you create and maintain a positive mindset. Hopefully you will be healthy and financially secure enough in your retirement to enjoy this new chapter – which could be as long as your working life! Remember, we spend our childhood and youth planning for ‘what we want to be when we grow up’, and talking about the career ahead of us, so it only makes sense that we should also plan for our retirement.

Sema’s top tips for embracing retirement

• Think about what you need in your life to make you content. Make a list if that helps.

• Think about a time when you were happy and content, and think about what you were doing then. Was it work? Was it family? Was it walking in nature? Was it being with friends? Or something completely different?

• Think about the things you would regret not doing. The deathbed scenario – whoever said that they regretted not spending a little more time in the office?

• Think about what you have achieved in your life already – see them as accomplishments and feel proud of them. Make a list of these, too.

• Be proactive! Talk openly about your hopes and fears for the future with your friends and family. Start to feel secure in what you would like your retirement to look like.

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