It is not uncommon to experience depression as you make the major life transition to retirement. Retirement is often seen as a double-edged sword. On one hand, you may be in the position where you worked for decades and now you have a hefty retirement fund where you can fully enjoy your free time. On the contrary, you may be someone who has to return to the workforce just to make ends meet.
Retirement is a major milestone and something that you should be proud of, but it also takes time to adjust to your new normal. Learning how to cope with your new life can leave you feeling stuck but, luckily, you can make the most out of this life transition by working with a geriatric therapist.
Anchor Therapy is a counseling center in Hoboken, NJ with mental health therapists specialized in helping children, teens, adults, couples, and families with anxiety, depression, relationship issues, trauma, life transitions, and more. Anchor Therapy is accepting new clients and is now providing in-person sessions and teletherapy sessions to residents of New Jersey, New York, and Florida.
Retirement’s Rollercoaster: Facing Depression, Stress, and Anxiety
Many people spend years romanticizing their retirement and thinking of all of the ways they will spend their free time.
During your retirement, you may have planned out the following activities:
Traveling the world
Spending more time with your family members and friends
Pursuing hobbies (e.g., fishing, painting, knitting, gardening, cooking, etc.)
Volunteering
Exercising (For more information, read our blog “5 Ways Exercise Benefits Your Mental Health”)
When it comes to retirement, it is normal to count your dollars and make sure that your savings are all lined up, but we rarely think about the mental impact of retirement and changing a daily routine that you may have held onto for decades.
When you first retire, you may feel elated. No more demanding boss, workplace politics, or a long commute. You are finally free. After all, this is what you have worked years for and you cannot wait to feel relief. But, after a few months, you may notice that your never-ending vacation feels less fun and more daunting. You may begin to crave the structure of workdays or the social aspect of your job.
Instead of feeling relaxed and a sense of accomplishment, you feel depressed, alone, and aimless. You may even be experiencing grief about the loss of your old life. If you think you may be experiencing grief, check out our blog “How To Know When To Seek Grief Therapy & Learn All About The New Grief Diagnosis.”
You may feel a noticeable strain on life at home with your partner or stressed about how you will fill up your free time. It is normal for new retirees to experience clinical depression and/or anxiety. If you are interested in learning more about your mental health, take our Depression Quiz and Anxiety Quiz.
No matter how much you have prepared for retirement and how long you have been looking forward to this life transition, it is still a major change that brings its fair share of challenges along with the benefits. The National Bureau of Economic Research has published research that notes a decline in mental health in the initial 6 year time span of retirement.
Some difficulties adjusting to retirement can be linked to how much you enjoyed your job. For example, if you hate going to your job on a daily basis, it will be much easier to let it go. Regardless of your situation, you can take steps to effectively deal with the stress, depression, anxiety, and other typical challenges of retirement. There are healthy ways to adjust to this new life chapter. For more support, read our blog “How To Cope With Life Transitions As A Senior Citizen.”
Retirement Challenges: Turning Stress Into Strength
When you end your work life, your overall life changes. You no longer have to hit snooze on your morning alarm or try to make it home in time for dinner with your family during rush hour traffic. For some people, retirement may mean changes for the better. For others, it may include difficult life obstacles.
Some common challenges that you may experience during retirement include:
Feeling anxious with more time on your hands and less money to spend
Losing your identity (e.g., if you are no longer a doctor, who are you? What is your role in the world?)
Struggling to switch from “work” mode to a state of relaxation (This typically occurs in the first few weeks and months of retirement)
Finding it hard to fill up your schedule with meaningful activities
Feeling depressed and isolated since you are no longer getting daily social interaction with your co-workers
Experiencing a decline in your self-confidence or in how useful you feel (Click our blog “The Ultimate Guide To Building Self-Confidence” for more information)
Adjusting your routine and trying to build a daily schedule
Maintaining independence even when you are at home with your spouse all day (For support, read our blog “4 Communication Tips Couples Need To Know”)
On the other side of these challenges are a new meaning and purpose in life that are waiting to be discovered. Check out our blog “The Best Ways To Cope With Life Transitions” and keep reading this blog for some tips regarding this life transition!
From the Tristate Area (new york/ new jersey) to Florida: How to Bloom in Retirement
It is very common for soon-to-be retirees and those senior citizens who have retired to move from the New Jersey and New York area to Florida. Whether you want to enjoy the Florida sunshine year round or decide to move due to financial reasons, you are not alone in making this jump.
Working can provide a lot of feelings of accomplishment, pride, and purpose and, when you retire, this all has the potential to be lost. Retirement brings a new schedule and makes you confront the realities of aging which can cause additional mental health concerns. When you couple the already-big life transition of retirement with moving, it can be overwhelming to say the least.
Moving is typically said to be one of the biggest stressors someone can go through. Stress occurs whenever you leap into the unknown, and moving and retirement are most certainly diving head-first into the deep end. For more support, read our blog “How To Cope With Moving Stress.”
In addition to retirement, moving away from the place where your roots are planted is difficult. Not only are you trying to figure out your new schedule and identity, but you are also trying to build a social network in a place where you do not know anyone.
This is where working with a therapist for retirement and life transitions is helpful.
Retirement Blues: Opening Up, Reaching Out through Geriatric Mental Health Counseling
Anxiety, depression, and stress are serious mental health concerns and they should be treated accordingly. If you are having a hard time coping with the life transition of retirement, you should consider talking to a senior mental health counselor.
At Anchor Therapy, we have senior therapists who specialize in working with retirees and senior citizens. They can effectively help you uncover the root causes of your mental health issues while also providing you with coping mechanisms that work for you. At Anchor Therapy, you will have an actionable plan for how to move forward in your post-retirement life.
Our geriatric therapists are licensed to help residents of New Jersey, New York, and Florida. We offer in-person sessions at our downtown Hoboken, New Jersey office. Additionally, we offer virtual therapy sessions for senior citizens so you can better your mental health no matter where you are! If you are considering online therapy, read our blog “5 Common Stereotypes You Should Know About Online Therapists.”
For more information about senior mental health counseling, our blog “Benefits of Geriatric Counseling” is a must-read.
Navigating the Storm: Retirement Mental Health Awareness
It is normal to feel restless during retirement from time to time. You may feel bored. You may feel aimless. But, it is time to reframe your thinking!
Retirement marks a period of your life where you get to focus on yourself and your needs. This might even be one of the first times in your life where you are prioritizing yourself. You may have been a successful business leader who was fully focused on climbing the corporate ladder. On the other hand, maybe you were a stay-at-home mom whose identity and time was solely tied to your children. If you resonate with the latter situation, check out our blogs “How To Cope With Empty Nest Syndrome” and “Your Guide to Self-Care As A Parent.”
Because this is a time of self-care, it also requires a good level of self-reflection.
How can you take care of yourself in ways that feel natural and good to you?
Embrace Change
Aging is a normal part of life, but that does not mean that it is easy. Your kids are fleeing the nest, your losing loved ones, and retirement is looming along with physical and mental health changes. You may be feeling conflicting emotions and, when you are in this emotional state, it is a good time to remind yourself of all of the other life transitions you have made it through successfully.
You have transitioned successfully from childhood to adolescence to your adult years. Retirement is not a destination, it is a journey just like every other part of your life. As with every other transition, you need time to assess and analyze your situation. If redirection is needed, you should be able to trust yourself enough to take the necessary steps.
Try to think about the things you are gaining, like more time to spend with loved ones, rather than a negative, such as losing a structured routine that you have had for many, many years.
When it comes to navigating a life transition, there is no “right” or “wrong” way to think. If you are not feeling happy about your retirement situation, do not try to force yourself to believe or think that way. Instead, acknowledge your emotions for how they are. Whether you are anxious or grief-stricken, talking to a trusted person or journaling your emotions can help.
2. Develop A New Identity
While work is about earning money, it has more significance than that. It adds purpose to your life and gives you meaning in society at large. Your job gives you a reason to leave the house every workday, provides you with goals, and makes you feel needed.
After retirement, it is important to find new sources of meaning in your life. This can occur by adding activities into your daily routine that bring you genuine joy. Perhaps you will enroll in a continuing education program or volunteer at a local food bank.
As a friendly reminder, retirement does not have to be all-or-nothing thinking. You may find it helpful to work part-time before making the full jump to your permanent vacation. This can help you adjust to a slower pace of life and gauge how you can live on the budget you have given yourself for retirement.
3. Establish A Daily Schedule
Just because your work schedule has ended, it does not mean that having a daily schedule has to come to an end. In fact, one of the best things you can do for your mental health is to create a set, healthy schedule or routine.
A good routine does not have to look like how it did when you were working. For example, maybe instead of waking up at 6:00 am every morning, you now take things a bit slower and wake up at 8:00 am. Your schedule is entirely centered around you. You are the creator of it! Do things that make you feel and function in the best way possible.
When you have a familiar pattern to your day, you can:
Prioritize your mental and physical health
Manage your stress
Get better sleep
Budget your time and money
Overall, retirement is a major life transition, and our geriatric counselors here at Anchor Therapy are here to help you conquer this change! By attending retirement counseling, you will get to the root cause of your mental health concerns, like anxiety, grief, and depression, and learn effective coping skills. If you are struggling, do not hesitate to reach out today and get started with geriatric mental health counseling. Our therapists are also licensed in Florida, New Jersey, and New York which is perfect for snowbirds, or seasonal residents, to do telehealth counseling from wherever state they are physically present in.
Victoria Scala
is the Social Media Manager and Intake Coordinator at Anchor Therapy in Hoboken, New Jersey. She is a graduate of the Honors College of Rutgers University-Newark. In her roles, Victoria is committed to managing the office’s social media presence and prioritizing clients' needs.
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