What do you do after the initial stages of Retirement! and Freedom! wear out? I recently faced this realization. I have kept myself busy thus far—taking culinary classes to achieve certification and Italian lessons to travel to Italy. I have lists of things to accomplish around the house, and hobbies, etc., and happily did so for a few months. But then the doubts came creeping in—most of the time in the form of subtle questions like–Should I be working? Should I be feeling guilty for not working? Why do I feel let down? Well, believe it or not, this is indeed one of the emotional stages of retirement that most people go through. Most of us had an identity through our work or career—for me, a career that spanned forty-five years. And before that working in my family restaurants. When you work most of your life, then all of a sudden you don’t, you’re bound to question who you are now, and what your purpose is or will be.
It’s good to remember that retirement is a huge life adjustment and there will be stages of acclimatization. It helps to know this is a whopper of a transition in life and to think of retirement as a journey. And with that, allow yourself to experience a wide range of emotions and look for healthy ways to deal with those feelings. Questioning what your purpose in life is beneficial to consider but make sure you move on and know that it’s all part of a process that will take time. During this time, don’t forget to have fun along the way and remember to support yourself with self-care, network with friends, eat healthy, and stay active.
Try walking, reading, writing, yoga, and think about what milestones you want to try from your bucket list. In addition to your bucket list, creating a retirement life storyboard can help you hone in on what might be next, especially if you’re a visual type of person. Here’s an example of my storyboard, below. As you can see, it’s easy to tell that travel was utmost on my mind. I created this storyboard digitally, but feel free to create yours by hand, gathering examples, or quotes that speak to you. And remember, just like your bucket list, your storyboard is fluid and can change. Like your bucket list, no one needs to see your storyboard unless you want them to. Have fun creating it and you might see what moves you forward.
If you haven’t already, check out episodes 1 and 2 of Green Light Journeys on this blog to get started on your own bucket list. Happy listing and storyboarding!
