When we first published our guide, “The Psychology of Retirement” a few years ago, it wasn’t something that was on my timeline.

However, now my first child has gone to university our conversations have started to feature more about how our lives will change when the kids have left home, how will we fill the time when they aren’t around and then what happens when we have helped them through the university years….could we possibly think about the “R” word?

I have seen family members and colleagues and of course many, many clients go through this transition and increasingly people are talking about how they want their experience to be different from their parents.

It was quite expected that someone would work until either their state pension or company retirement age with a hard stop. Most people didn’t even have the option to phase out go part-time or consider whether they might continue paid work in another role or different sphere.

For some people the idea of total freedom sounds fantastic, others feel unmoored without the routines.

5 ways people struggle to adapt during retirement.

• Identity – who am I if I don’t have this job title?
• Routine – how do a replace the structure of the working week?
• Relationships – how do I navigate the loss of work colleagues or more time spent with my partner?
• Mortality – reaching this milestone moves us on a step further in our journey of life.
• Self-esteem – no longer doing something you were good at and gained kudos from

We have clients who have combined work and freedom to extend their transition in a way that helps them adjust and has less immediate impact on their finances. Dave Winder, (featured in the photo) did just that, you can read his case study here.

If you would like our “Guide to the Psychology of Retirement” drop us an e-mail on the contact page for a free copy.