The transition from working life to retirement is an important step in the life of working people. With longer life expectancy and progress in health, we are almost all guaranteed to live many more years, free from the constraints of the world of work.
So you might as well prepare as best you can for the years that remain to be lived. Managing this transition is as much about anticipating your future activities as continuing to reach out to others or providing sufficient income to live well in retirement. Our 5 tips for successfully managing the transition from working life to retirement
To live the end of your active life and your transition to retirement as best as possible, be sure to prepare for this stage well in advance. It is three or four years before your retirement that you have to think about and already organize your activities and your future lifestyle. Quitting your professional activity does not mean remaining inactive. On the contrary, this is the period of your life when you will have plenty of time to indulge your passions, so why not take up sports or go traveling to countries you have always dreamed of. Anticipating your transition from active life to retirement means asking yourself the right questions:"What do I want to do?", "What am I capable of doing?" or "What have I never dared to do until now?".
The fact of having to leave the professional world, to break with a schedule punctuated by work, to possibly lose responsibilities, is experienced differently depending on the person. Some will enter the period of their retirement serenely and even with enthusiasm, while others will experience it badly or fear finding themselves overnight without occupations and without colleagues. It is true that we most often deal with the arrival of retirement in more technical forms (pension, liquidation, etc.), than human. However, it is normal to approach the end of one's working life and the transition to retirement with some apprehension. This may be the time to get closer to a professional (psychologist, psychiatrist, etc.) who will allow you to speak freely and free yourself from your legitimate anxieties to approach this new stage of life as best as possible.
Retiring does not mean isolating oneself from society and it is not necessarily synonymous with loneliness, and even quite the contrary for some. If you do not want to suffer from isolation, like unfortunately thousands of elderly people, retirement is the ideal time to reach out to others and not cut yourself off from society. Many sports, cultural, artistic, volunteering activities, etc., are offered to seniors. This may be the time for you to get involved as a volunteer in an association that has been close to your heart for a long time but for which you lacked time during your active life. Reaching out to others can also mean traveling. Traveling in a group, for example, but also going to discover new cultures on your own and make lovely human encounters.
Nothing obliges you to immediately retire 100%. If you are apprehensive about this transition from working life to retirement, consider taking phased retirement. This possibility of arranging this stage of life by continuing to work part-time, while receiving part of their retirement pension, is a perfect solution for those who wish to reserve a kind of "airlock" between life active and retired. The possibility of taking retirement gradually is subject to conditions, in particular the number of quarters contributed and age.
The question of the transition from working life to retirement often boils down for most people to the fear of a certain isolation and loneliness. But, for many, it is also and above all a question of financial concerns. Indeed, receiving a retirement pension almost always means a decline in one's standard of living, not to mention health insurance and supplements. It is therefore well in advance that you have to take care of your future resources once you retire, and consider solutions to supplement them in order to lead a decent life and without too many changes compared to your active life.
