First Year of Retirement - How to Adjust to Being Retired

By Cathy Severson

The fantasy of retirement is often the extended vacation. The media has help perpetuate this image with shots of older couples sipping Mai Tai's on the beach. Most people will explain the first few months of retirement feel like a vacation, because there isn't any other life experience to relate it to. But retirement isn't a vacation. It's a whole new life experience. How you grapple the first couple of years of retirement will largely determine how you spend the rest of your life. Here are some tips to making a successful retirement transition.

Don't make any major life changes during the first year of retirement. Experts caution against making major life decisions, especially moving during the first year of any transition. A couple of months into retirement, many people get itchy feet. Look around, explore, research, but it's recommended you don't actually alter your life dramatically.

Celebrate. Find a way to celebrate this life altering event. Many people schedule a trip. You can also have a party with friends and loved ones. We celebrate major transitions in our youth. It's a wonderful way of saying good-by to the old and welcome in the new. Find your unique way of honoring this new adventure you are on.

Monitor you spending. There is a temptation to go spend money when you first retire. You may have received a significant amount of money or you have more time on your hands or you justify that you worked hard and now deserve the rewards. Give yourself 24 hours before making any major purchases. Ask yourself if it's an impulse buy, a way of filling a void and whether or not it leads to your long-term retirement goals.

Create new habits. It's easy to procrastinate on all the good intentions you had about living a better lifestyle. Don't wait. Immediately start eating better and begin getting more physical activity. Develop routines and healthy habits at the beginning. If you don't, it will only get harder to start them later on.

Allow for quiet time. People often have a full list of things they want to do. Like a racehorse trying to break free from the starting gate, they want to let loose to begin this new life. Allow yourself the time to let your body rest and recuperate. Working people are under so much stress that they need time to heal. If you have been used to going a hundred miles per hour, it's often hard to slow down. Balance your activities with intentional down time.

Finish what needs to be finished. Everyone has tasks they want to accomplish when they first retire. Make a list of all the things you've been putting off and schedule something every month to complete. There are many tasks around the house such as closets to be cleaned, photo albums to be filled. This is a great time to get a complete physical and all those nasty tests you've been putting off. Most people meet with a financial planner, and insurance agent, but also meet with an attorney to make sure your estate plan is up to date. If you haven't already, GET A WILL.

Experiment with your life. Be willing to try new things. Take classes, try new activities, commune with nature, be creative. Reconnect with old friends, make new ones. Look for ways to get involved and make a difference. Research and take on short term projects, but don't make any major commitments. While you've survived many transitions up until now, retirement is a new life experience. You've never done anything like it before. Take your time, enjoy the journey so you can create a wonderful life that will last for years to come.

About the author: Cathy Severson, MS helps you make the most of your retirement. Baby boomers understand this isn't your parents retirement. Find out how to make the rest of your life the best of your life with the complimentary e-book 7 Ingredients for a Satisfying Retirement at http://tinyurl.com/8moymb Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Cathy_Severson

More Retirement Articles

From First Year of Retirement Return to Home