Posted in Triplett & Carothers on May 1, 2025

When you retire from your job, you may feel as if you’ve lost all sense of commitment and involvement. This process often brings a mix of emotions, including sadness, grief, loneliness and disorientation — feelings that are completely normal. Saying goodbye to established routines and schedules can be challenging.

Taking time to reflect on what you enjoy and how you want to approach retirement can help ease the transition. Retirement often includes both obstacles and pleasant surprises as you adjust to a new way of life.

There are typically three phases of retirement: leaving your job, adapting to a new lifestyle and finding balance in your new experiences. Along the way, you may encounter these common challenges:

• Struggling to “switch off” from work mode and relax, particularly in the early weeks or months.
• Feeling anxious about having more free time but less disposable income.
• Finding it hard to fill your newfound hours with meaningful activities.
• Experiencing feelings of isolation without the daily social interaction of coworkers.
• Sensing a decline in your sense of usefulness, importance or self-confidence.
• Adjusting to being home with your spouse all day while maintaining independence and personal routines.
• Grappling with guilt about receiving a pension without actively working.

Reassessing yourself without your professional identity can feel disorienting, but it’s helpful to start by focusing on what brings you joy. Reflect on both your work and personal activities from recent years. Make a list of the things you genuinely enjoyed — projects you were excited to tackle, trips and what you did on them, people you liked spending time with, and places you visited. Highlight the moments and experiences that brought you the most satisfaction. This can serve as a foundation for building a fulfilling and meaningful retirement.

The next steps

The list of what you have found meaningful is a way to discover your new passions. Books, videos and social media can provide ideas and inspiration for activities, as can friends who are already exploring new hobbies. The goal isn’t just to find something you enjoy; it’s to identify activities that excite you, give you a sense of purpose and allow you to contribute. Pursuing activities with meaning and usefulness can make your retirement more fulfilling. Consider the following:

• Volunteer at places such as food banks.
• Join a book club, bridge group, mahjong circle or bird-watching meetup.
• Get more involved in your religious organization.
• Learn to play a musical instrument.
• Take classes or join activities at community centers and/or local colleges.
• Dive deep into activities you already enjoy, such as quilting, woodworking or collecting.

As you ease into retirement, try increasing your time commitment to see how much you enjoy these activities. Not everything you try will have a lasting impact or remain appealing, and that’s okay.

The new you

The assessments you make in the early months of retirement will form the foundation for shaping your new identity. Talk to friends, keep an open mind and search broadly — it’s an opportunity to investigate new directions. Your social interactions will also change during this period of renewal. Old restraints will fade as you set your own schedule.

While retirement can feel like an emotional roller coaster, it’s also a chance to grow, evolve and experience an exciting and enriching chapter of life.

Reach out to Roz Carothers and her team at Triplett & Carothers to learn more.

©2025