Close
Retirement brings a new sense of freedom, but it also comes with challenges and difficult emotions. It’s a change in identity, finances, relationships, and how you spend your time—no wonder it can be difficult to adjust.
You’ve likely thought a lot about how you’ll enjoy your golden years. But there’s a good chance you never thought much about the psychological effect retirement might have on you. Retirement often means a loss of identity. Whether you identified as a banker, cook, or teacher, retirement can cause you to question who you are now that you’re no longer working.
Other issues accompanying retirement—such as more time and less money—can also make for a difficult adjustment. Some retirees experience mental health issues, such asdepressionandanxiety, after they’ve stopped working.
At a Glance
If you’re in the early stages of retirement and feeling somewhat lost, you’re not alone. Many retirees find the transition can be difficult. Preparing for these emotions, creating a sense of structure, setting small goals, and maintaining social connections are important strategies that can help you adjust to retirement.
1
Expect to Go Through Stages of Emotions
Hero Images / Hero Images / Getty Images
Most people go through an emotional process when adjusting to retirement. At first, there’s a feeling of freedom. It’s like you’re on a vacation that will last forever.
Suppressing your emotions or denying your feelings can lead to unhealthy coping strategies—likerelying on alcoholor food.
Coping With Emotions During RetirementAllow yourself to experience a wide range of emotions, whatever those emotions may be. Look for healthy ways to deal with those feelings. You might find walking, reading, writing, talking to others, oryogahelps you deal with your emotions.
Coping With Emotions During Retirement
Allow yourself to experience a wide range of emotions, whatever those emotions may be. Look for healthy ways to deal with those feelings. You might find walking, reading, writing, talking to others, oryogahelps you deal with your emotions.
2Structure Your DaysPre-retirement, you had your routine down pat: Alarm goes off, shower, breakfast, pack a lunch, head out the door. There was probably a similar structure to the end of your days that began when you walked back over the threshold of your home.Research has shown that maintaining habits and routines is vital for mental health.Sticking to some type of daily schedulecan help you maintain health habits, feel more productive, and combat stress.If you thrive with a schedule, you might establish a retirement routine that helps you plan your days. Experiment with various activities and time slots to see how it makes you feel.Pencil in time for lingering over the newspaper and enjoying a cup of coffee, but add in regular time for exercise, social activities, volunteer opportunities, and family meals.While your days don’t need to be rigid, having a set wake-up time and routine can help you feel more normalcy now that you aren’t going to work.
2
Structure Your DaysPre-retirement, you had your routine down pat: Alarm goes off, shower, breakfast, pack a lunch, head out the door. There was probably a similar structure to the end of your days that began when you walked back over the threshold of your home.Research has shown that maintaining habits and routines is vital for mental health.Sticking to some type of daily schedulecan help you maintain health habits, feel more productive, and combat stress.If you thrive with a schedule, you might establish a retirement routine that helps you plan your days. Experiment with various activities and time slots to see how it makes you feel.Pencil in time for lingering over the newspaper and enjoying a cup of coffee, but add in regular time for exercise, social activities, volunteer opportunities, and family meals.While your days don’t need to be rigid, having a set wake-up time and routine can help you feel more normalcy now that you aren’t going to work.
Structure Your Days
Pre-retirement, you had your routine down pat: Alarm goes off, shower, breakfast, pack a lunch, head out the door. There was probably a similar structure to the end of your days that began when you walked back over the threshold of your home.
Research has shown that maintaining habits and routines is vital for mental health.Sticking to some type of daily schedulecan help you maintain health habits, feel more productive, and combat stress.
If you thrive with a schedule, you might establish a retirement routine that helps you plan your days. Experiment with various activities and time slots to see how it makes you feel.
Pencil in time for lingering over the newspaper and enjoying a cup of coffee, but add in regular time for exercise, social activities, volunteer opportunities, and family meals.
While your days don’t need to be rigid, having a set wake-up time and routine can help you feel more normalcy now that you aren’t going to work.
3Set Small GoalsYour pre-retirement life was measured in meeting milestones, such as making deadlines, finishing projects, or getting a promotion. You can stillfocus on goalsafter you retire, though they might be a little different than they were before.Working on goals can give you a sense of purpose.Accomplishing new things can give you a sense of achievement.Think about what milestones you might want to meet in the first month, six months, or one year that you’ve been retired, and write them down. Do you want to lose 10 pounds? Travel to Europe? (Yes, goals can be fun, too!) Finish five books that you’ve been putting off? The sky’s the limit.
3
Set Small GoalsYour pre-retirement life was measured in meeting milestones, such as making deadlines, finishing projects, or getting a promotion. You can stillfocus on goalsafter you retire, though they might be a little different than they were before.Working on goals can give you a sense of purpose.Accomplishing new things can give you a sense of achievement.Think about what milestones you might want to meet in the first month, six months, or one year that you’ve been retired, and write them down. Do you want to lose 10 pounds? Travel to Europe? (Yes, goals can be fun, too!) Finish five books that you’ve been putting off? The sky’s the limit.
Set Small Goals
Your pre-retirement life was measured in meeting milestones, such as making deadlines, finishing projects, or getting a promotion. You can stillfocus on goalsafter you retire, though they might be a little different than they were before.
Working on goals can give you a sense of purpose.Accomplishing new things can give you a sense of achievement.
Think about what milestones you might want to meet in the first month, six months, or one year that you’ve been retired, and write them down. Do you want to lose 10 pounds? Travel to Europe? (Yes, goals can be fun, too!) Finish five books that you’ve been putting off? The sky’s the limit.
4
Grow Your Friendships
There’s a significant risk of becoming isolated during retirement.After 30 years of meeting friends through work and seeing them every day, it might not be as easy to keep up with those you hold dear.
This can play into restructuring your daily routine—ask one friend to meet you for lunch every Monday, another friend to walk through the neighborhood with you on Wednesdays, and a third pal to grab a coffee on Friday afternoons.
If you and your spouse are friends with other couples, aim to invite them over for dinner or board games at least once a month. If you don’t feel like you have enough people to keep you socially active, take advantage of the extra time in your life tomake new friends.
Making New Friends in Retirement
5Consider an “Encore” JobWho says that retirement from one job has to mean leaving the workforce entirely? A number of folks try out a less-stressful secondary career, perhaps one that’s part-time, after leaving their longtime industry.Research finds that retirees who got a “bridge” job, another term for this type of work, are often in better mental and physical health and report higher levels of life satisfaction.So look around your community (or search the internet for work from home opportunities) for jobs that you might enjoy doing during retirement.
5
Consider an “Encore” JobWho says that retirement from one job has to mean leaving the workforce entirely? A number of folks try out a less-stressful secondary career, perhaps one that’s part-time, after leaving their longtime industry.Research finds that retirees who got a “bridge” job, another term for this type of work, are often in better mental and physical health and report higher levels of life satisfaction.So look around your community (or search the internet for work from home opportunities) for jobs that you might enjoy doing during retirement.
Consider an “Encore” Job
Who says that retirement from one job has to mean leaving the workforce entirely? A number of folks try out a less-stressful secondary career, perhaps one that’s part-time, after leaving their longtime industry.
Research finds that retirees who got a “bridge” job, another term for this type of work, are often in better mental and physical health and report higher levels of life satisfaction.
So look around your community (or search the internet for work from home opportunities) for jobs that you might enjoy doing during retirement.
6Create a New BudgetEven the best savers might have to make some spending adjustments after retirement. In an ideal world, you have saved enough to last 20 to 30 years, but if you’re like most retirees, there’s a good chance you might fall a bit short of that goal.Figure out what you need in your new post-career life and what you don’t. For example, that clothing budget that you always spent on business clothes can go out the window, but you might need to add a category for membership dues for a variety of organizations that you wish to join.Establish a budget to help you see how much money you have for entertainment or fun.You might learn you need a part-time job so you can go on an annual vacation. Or, you might discover you have enough money left over to take your grandkids to lunch once a week.
6
Create a New BudgetEven the best savers might have to make some spending adjustments after retirement. In an ideal world, you have saved enough to last 20 to 30 years, but if you’re like most retirees, there’s a good chance you might fall a bit short of that goal.Figure out what you need in your new post-career life and what you don’t. For example, that clothing budget that you always spent on business clothes can go out the window, but you might need to add a category for membership dues for a variety of organizations that you wish to join.Establish a budget to help you see how much money you have for entertainment or fun.You might learn you need a part-time job so you can go on an annual vacation. Or, you might discover you have enough money left over to take your grandkids to lunch once a week.
Create a New Budget
Even the best savers might have to make some spending adjustments after retirement. In an ideal world, you have saved enough to last 20 to 30 years, but if you’re like most retirees, there’s a good chance you might fall a bit short of that goal.
Figure out what you need in your new post-career life and what you don’t. For example, that clothing budget that you always spent on business clothes can go out the window, but you might need to add a category for membership dues for a variety of organizations that you wish to join.
Establish a budget to help you see how much money you have for entertainment or fun.
You might learn you need a part-time job so you can go on an annual vacation. Or, you might discover you have enough money left over to take your grandkids to lunch once a week.
7
Schedule Volunteer Shifts
Whether you help at your local library or decide you’d like to volunteer at the hospital, look for ways to get involved in your community.
Studies show that seniors who incorporate a low to medium level of volunteering in their life report more satisfaction with life and fewer symptoms of depression than those who didn’t volunteer.
8Give Yourself Flexibility to Figure It OutYou might think that you want to spend your retirement painting, cooking, and reading, but then find out that all that time spent at home doesn’t fulfill the lifestyle you dreamed about. After 30 years in the workplace, you finally have time to experiment with what you really want.There are many different ways you can spend your time. And fortunately, there’s no need to figure it all out right away.It will likely take a fair amount of experimenting to help you find just the right balance of how you want to spend your time. You can always increase social activities later ordevelop new hobbiesif you want to stay busier.The joy of retirement is that you’ll have plenty of opportunities to experiment. It’s up to you to design the type of day—and kind of life—that you want to live.Why Are People Bad at Long-Term Planning?
8
Give Yourself Flexibility to Figure It OutYou might think that you want to spend your retirement painting, cooking, and reading, but then find out that all that time spent at home doesn’t fulfill the lifestyle you dreamed about. After 30 years in the workplace, you finally have time to experiment with what you really want.There are many different ways you can spend your time. And fortunately, there’s no need to figure it all out right away.It will likely take a fair amount of experimenting to help you find just the right balance of how you want to spend your time. You can always increase social activities later ordevelop new hobbiesif you want to stay busier.The joy of retirement is that you’ll have plenty of opportunities to experiment. It’s up to you to design the type of day—and kind of life—that you want to live.Why Are People Bad at Long-Term Planning?
Give Yourself Flexibility to Figure It Out
You might think that you want to spend your retirement painting, cooking, and reading, but then find out that all that time spent at home doesn’t fulfill the lifestyle you dreamed about. After 30 years in the workplace, you finally have time to experiment with what you really want.
There are many different ways you can spend your time. And fortunately, there’s no need to figure it all out right away.
It will likely take a fair amount of experimenting to help you find just the right balance of how you want to spend your time. You can always increase social activities later ordevelop new hobbiesif you want to stay busier.
The joy of retirement is that you’ll have plenty of opportunities to experiment. It’s up to you to design the type of day—and kind of life—that you want to live.
Why Are People Bad at Long-Term Planning?
Keep in MindRetirement is a major life transition, so it is normal to experience some stress, anxiety, and even sadness about such changes. Learning to relax, having more time on your hands, and dealing with changes in your finances can be tough.If you find yourself struggling with a loss of identity, anxiety, depression, orloneliness, it is important to take steps to get help. Talk to your doctor or mental health professional, and consider joining a support group for retirees.If you or a loved one are struggling with anxiety or depression, contact theSubstance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) National Helplineat 1-800-662-4357 for information on support and treatment facilities in your area.For more mental health resources, see ourNational Helpline Database.How Can I Find Support Groups Near Me?
Keep in Mind
Retirement is a major life transition, so it is normal to experience some stress, anxiety, and even sadness about such changes. Learning to relax, having more time on your hands, and dealing with changes in your finances can be tough.
If you find yourself struggling with a loss of identity, anxiety, depression, orloneliness, it is important to take steps to get help. Talk to your doctor or mental health professional, and consider joining a support group for retirees.
If you or a loved one are struggling with anxiety or depression, contact theSubstance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) National Helplineat 1-800-662-4357 for information on support and treatment facilities in your area.For more mental health resources, see ourNational Helpline Database.
If you or a loved one are struggling with anxiety or depression, contact theSubstance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) National Helplineat 1-800-662-4357 for information on support and treatment facilities in your area.
For more mental health resources, see ourNational Helpline Database.
How Can I Find Support Groups Near Me?
8 SourcesVerywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Heller-Sahlgren G.Retirement blues.Journal of Health Economics. 2017;54:66-78. doi:10.1016/j.jhealeco.2017.03.007Nicholson D, McCormack F, Seaman P, et al.Alcohol and healthy ageing: a challenge for alcohol policy.Public Health. 2017;148:13-18. doi:10.1016/j.puhe.2017.02.021Arlinghaus KR, Johnston CA.The importance of creating habits and routine.Am J Lifestyle Med. 2018;13(2):142–144. doi:10.1177/1559827618818044Barker P.Setting achievable goals.Vet Rec. 2018;183(19):604. doi:10.1136/vr.k4846Czaja SJ, Moxley JH, Rogers WA.Social support, isolation, loneliness, and health among older adults in the PRISM randomized controlled trial.Front Psychol. 2021;12:728658. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2021.728658Bennett MM, Beehr TA, Lepisto LR.A longitudinal study of work after retirement: examining predictors of bridge employment, continued career employment, and retirement.Int J Aging Hum Dev. 2016;83(3):288-255. doi:10.1177/0091415016652403Yeung JWK, Zhuoni Z, Kim TY.Volunteering and health benefits in general adults: cumulative effects and forms.BMC Public Health. 2018;18:8. doi:10.1186/s12889-017-4561-8Kim ES, Whillans AV, Lee MT, Chen Y, VanderWeele TJ.Volunteering and subsequent health and well-being in older adults: An outcome-wide longitudinal approach.Am J Prev Med. 2020;59(2):176-186. doi:10.1016/j.amepre.2020.03.004Additional ReadingMukku SSR, Harbishettar V, Sivakumar P. Psychological Morbidity after Job Retirement: A Review.Asian Journal of Psychiatry. August 2018. DOI:10.1016/j.ajp.2018.08.003.
8 Sources
Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Heller-Sahlgren G.Retirement blues.Journal of Health Economics. 2017;54:66-78. doi:10.1016/j.jhealeco.2017.03.007Nicholson D, McCormack F, Seaman P, et al.Alcohol and healthy ageing: a challenge for alcohol policy.Public Health. 2017;148:13-18. doi:10.1016/j.puhe.2017.02.021Arlinghaus KR, Johnston CA.The importance of creating habits and routine.Am J Lifestyle Med. 2018;13(2):142–144. doi:10.1177/1559827618818044Barker P.Setting achievable goals.Vet Rec. 2018;183(19):604. doi:10.1136/vr.k4846Czaja SJ, Moxley JH, Rogers WA.Social support, isolation, loneliness, and health among older adults in the PRISM randomized controlled trial.Front Psychol. 2021;12:728658. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2021.728658Bennett MM, Beehr TA, Lepisto LR.A longitudinal study of work after retirement: examining predictors of bridge employment, continued career employment, and retirement.Int J Aging Hum Dev. 2016;83(3):288-255. doi:10.1177/0091415016652403Yeung JWK, Zhuoni Z, Kim TY.Volunteering and health benefits in general adults: cumulative effects and forms.BMC Public Health. 2018;18:8. doi:10.1186/s12889-017-4561-8Kim ES, Whillans AV, Lee MT, Chen Y, VanderWeele TJ.Volunteering and subsequent health and well-being in older adults: An outcome-wide longitudinal approach.Am J Prev Med. 2020;59(2):176-186. doi:10.1016/j.amepre.2020.03.004Additional ReadingMukku SSR, Harbishettar V, Sivakumar P. Psychological Morbidity after Job Retirement: A Review.Asian Journal of Psychiatry. August 2018. DOI:10.1016/j.ajp.2018.08.003.
Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Heller-Sahlgren G.Retirement blues.Journal of Health Economics. 2017;54:66-78. doi:10.1016/j.jhealeco.2017.03.007Nicholson D, McCormack F, Seaman P, et al.Alcohol and healthy ageing: a challenge for alcohol policy.Public Health. 2017;148:13-18. doi:10.1016/j.puhe.2017.02.021Arlinghaus KR, Johnston CA.The importance of creating habits and routine.Am J Lifestyle Med. 2018;13(2):142–144. doi:10.1177/1559827618818044Barker P.Setting achievable goals.Vet Rec. 2018;183(19):604. doi:10.1136/vr.k4846Czaja SJ, Moxley JH, Rogers WA.Social support, isolation, loneliness, and health among older adults in the PRISM randomized controlled trial.Front Psychol. 2021;12:728658. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2021.728658Bennett MM, Beehr TA, Lepisto LR.A longitudinal study of work after retirement: examining predictors of bridge employment, continued career employment, and retirement.Int J Aging Hum Dev. 2016;83(3):288-255. doi:10.1177/0091415016652403Yeung JWK, Zhuoni Z, Kim TY.Volunteering and health benefits in general adults: cumulative effects and forms.BMC Public Health. 2018;18:8. doi:10.1186/s12889-017-4561-8Kim ES, Whillans AV, Lee MT, Chen Y, VanderWeele TJ.Volunteering and subsequent health and well-being in older adults: An outcome-wide longitudinal approach.Am J Prev Med. 2020;59(2):176-186. doi:10.1016/j.amepre.2020.03.004
Heller-Sahlgren G.Retirement blues.Journal of Health Economics. 2017;54:66-78. doi:10.1016/j.jhealeco.2017.03.007
Nicholson D, McCormack F, Seaman P, et al.Alcohol and healthy ageing: a challenge for alcohol policy.Public Health. 2017;148:13-18. doi:10.1016/j.puhe.2017.02.021
Arlinghaus KR, Johnston CA.The importance of creating habits and routine.Am J Lifestyle Med. 2018;13(2):142–144. doi:10.1177/1559827618818044
Barker P.Setting achievable goals.Vet Rec. 2018;183(19):604. doi:10.1136/vr.k4846
Czaja SJ, Moxley JH, Rogers WA.Social support, isolation, loneliness, and health among older adults in the PRISM randomized controlled trial.Front Psychol. 2021;12:728658. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2021.728658
Bennett MM, Beehr TA, Lepisto LR.A longitudinal study of work after retirement: examining predictors of bridge employment, continued career employment, and retirement.Int J Aging Hum Dev. 2016;83(3):288-255. doi:10.1177/0091415016652403
Yeung JWK, Zhuoni Z, Kim TY.Volunteering and health benefits in general adults: cumulative effects and forms.BMC Public Health. 2018;18:8. doi:10.1186/s12889-017-4561-8
Kim ES, Whillans AV, Lee MT, Chen Y, VanderWeele TJ.Volunteering and subsequent health and well-being in older adults: An outcome-wide longitudinal approach.Am J Prev Med. 2020;59(2):176-186. doi:10.1016/j.amepre.2020.03.004
Mukku SSR, Harbishettar V, Sivakumar P. Psychological Morbidity after Job Retirement: A Review.Asian Journal of Psychiatry. August 2018. DOI:10.1016/j.ajp.2018.08.003.
Meet Our Review Board
Share Feedback
Was this page helpful?Thanks for your feedback!What is your feedback?HelpfulReport an ErrorOtherSubmit
Was this page helpful?
Thanks for your feedback!
What is your feedback?HelpfulReport an ErrorOtherSubmit
What is your feedback?
