EMPLOYEE ASSISTANCE PROGRAM BETSY JOHNSON, LCSW Ready to RETIRE?

The magic and the curse of retirement is that it is the same as your earlier life; it is all up to you. You can pursue whatever you wish. Just be careful what you wish for. Bill Roiter Beyond Work, 2008

THE BEST YEARS OF MY LIFE? “The only people who usually don’t adjust well to retirement are people who never had any life outside of their work... they need to find a new life. It is especially important for workaholics to identify a purpose in their life.” Encyclopedia of Ageism, by Erdman Palmore Based on Palmore’s research:  A ging and retirement are usually better than most people expect. Lot of negative stereotypes are mostly myths. Unless you have a major problem (health, finances) than you will probably be happy in retirement.  It’s important to educate yourself about the facts of aging.  Stay active!

Five stages of Retirement  Preparation  Celebration  Honeymoon  Reality  Reorientation Dr. Sara Yogev, Chicago, Ill., Business Week

Life Balance Successful retirement depends on your ability to balance the 4 domains of life:  Financial  Physical  Social  Personal  “take our retirement profile”

Financial Domain Roiter’s recommendations: 1. Learn as much you can absorb about your financial situation. 2. Work with a financial advisor you trust. What gets in the way? Denial – we don’t want to think about it – it’s too depressing – but there are good reasons to do so:  It’s easier that you think  Knowledge is power What steps do people take when they decide to work on their financial readiness for retirement?

Physical Domain Successful Aging, Rowe & Kahn, findings of the 10yr MacArthur Foundation Study of Aging in America: Many of the fears about functional loss are exaggerated Much functional loss can be prevented Many functional losses can be regained

Expectation Management Don’t look back (except to enjoy the memories and recall lessons learned). Respect who you are TODAY. Look ahead - “Aging is scary when you are ignorant of the future.” LEARN. Get past negative assumptions. “The more you learn, the fewer assumptions you will have. Assumptions can “create an expectation that things will be worse than they actually may be, causing us to feel pain and worry when there is no need, resulting in a loss of enjoyment and competence.”

Healthy Aging The 7 variables that were shown to predict healthy aging: 1. No heavy smoking 2. No alcohol abuse 3. Stable marriage 4. Some exercise 5. Not overweight 6. Adaptive coping styles (mature defenses) – how you manage problems & anxiety 7. Years of education – more years can increase longevity

You at this moment Culture Physical Health Mental Social Health Health Spiritual Health Lifestyle behaviors (diet, smoking, physical activity, coping with stress, sleep); genetics Current state of health; visible signs and symptoms. Sum of the other layers beneath. Environment Fulfilling relationships with others Living a life with meaning and purpose; fits one’s core values, guiding principles, beliefs; caring for yourself and others Intellectual – Mental tasks Emotional – Expressing emotions, coping, attitude, ability to adapt to change Source: Taking Care of You University of Missouri Extension “Iceberg of Health”

Social Domain “Loneliness is one of the greatest fears we face as we leave work.... So how do you make friendships in the years beyond work?” SOCIAL SUPPORT CORRELATES WITH A LONG AND HEALTHY LIFE. What do retirees miss most? 65 percent said they missed the daily interactions with their co-workers, the camaraderie and structure of their work life. pre html

Review of the 4 domains Financial: Enough Money? Physical: Managing Your Health? Social: Satisfying Relationships? Personal: Happy? Know what you want of life? Does your world work for you? Do you feel satisfied?

“The saying usually goes, ‘if you don’t have health, you have nothing.’ I would amend it to ‘if you don’t enjoy life, you have nothing.’ What you have is what living day to day gives you. It is what you make of what you have that creates your life.”

Personal Domain DESCRIBE YOURSELF IN FIVE WORDS.

You are all geniuses, and you are all beautiful. You don't need anyone to tell you who you are. You are what you are. John Lennon

Who am I? Personality: what others see; how you behave in the world. Character: your internal beliefs and values; why you do what you do.

 Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience and suffering can the soul be strengthened, vision cleared, ambition inspired, and success achieved.  Helen Keller

Know Thyself... How? Introspection Self-Reflection Prayer and Meditation Pausing to Think Open to new information, but with boundaries

Spiritual Identity? “A spiritual identity represents your personality and character and uses your self-awareness to help you understand, to make sense of your world.”

The 3 Ages of New Adulthood: Making the Move Enjoying the Life Appreciating the Life

Develop a Retirement Action Plan Take the “How Confident Are You?” quiz.  Identify your core focus for retirement. Think about what’s important to you. Explore your goals. Write them down. Take small action steps. Review and revisit your goals.

“It’s All In Your Attitude” “As you transition into your new adulthood you have an opportunity that has not existed since your early 20s. You have the opportunity to choose who you want to be and how you want to live, and this opportunity is backed by your years of hard-won knowledge of what works and does not work for you.”