The transition to retirement can be a time when you feel a little stuck. It’s like being in the middle of a pandemic. You’re not where you want to be or doing what you want to do, but you might be close to getting there. These in-between times are tricky in that you’re waiting for something to happen.
But waiting doesn’t mean you have to give up on happiness and fulfillment.
Here are eight tips to help you succeed no matter where you are in life, especially if you’re in that tricky in-between stage.
1. Assess your current health status
Sometimes, just taking a moment to reflect on your health is all it takes to change your life and get started on the path to greater happiness. (Note: the same is true for your financial health. With the simple act of planning, your financial outlook will begin to improve. Get started with the Boldin Retirement Planner today.)
Tyler J. VanderWeel, Director of Human Flourishing at Harvard University program We’ve created a 10-question quiz to help you assess your current health status.
Are you thriving or declining? Take the quiz It’s in the New York Times right now.
2. Nurturing weak social ties
Relationships with good friends and close family members contribute to your happiness. But casual, less-common ties contribute to happiness as well. In fact, scientists have found that casual social connections contribute significantly to happiness.
Random encounters include those friendly conversations you have in line at the grocery store or the people you smile and say hello to each day while working in the office. These types of weak ties give us a relatively strong sense of happiness and well-being.
In fact, Mark Granovetter, a professor of sociology at Stanford University, Written Here are some ways that weak ties can benefit us:
- Be a good outlet for expressing your feelings in a non-judgmental environment.
- Give you the opportunity to get a more objective opinion on something that concerns you
- Expand your social network and introduce yourself to new ideas and opportunities
- Delivering jolts of goodwill without getting in the way of human complexity
To increase your happiness, think about how you can nurture your weak ties.
3. Celebrate the little things
Are you planning a big event to celebrate your retirement? A special trip? A party? Expecting gifts? Or are you just looking forward to a life free of obligations? Whatever comes next, it’s going to be a big one for you.
But with that really important retirement date approaching, now is a good time to focus on the little joys. Psychologists call that “savoring” — consciously celebrating small victories, noticing something beautiful, or simply acknowledging when it makes you happy.
Savoring means giving yourself the space to acknowledge your positive emotions, ideally while you’re feeling them. Commemorating small moments can boost your sense of well-being right now.
- Whatever you’re celebrating, take a moment to be grateful.
- Take pictures or write down the things that bring you joy (you could make it a goal to take a picture every day or spend 3 minutes before bed writing down what made you happy).
- Tell someone about a positive moment you had.
- When you feel happy, just notice it.
- Go for a walk just to find something that makes you happy.
4. Develop a gratitude habit
Our capacity for gratitude actually increases as we age, so this should be easy.
Dr. Vanderweel Recommendation Take the time once a week to reflect on five things you are grateful for in your life. Write them down. Share them with your partner or a friend.
5. Do many acts of kindness each day.
While you wait for that big milestone, you might be putting off doing things that would make you happy in the moment. If you want to feel good today, try doing a small act of kindness.
the study It has been found that performing a few acts of kindness each week for a few weeks (things you might not normally do) can lead to increased happiness, life satisfaction, greater positivity, less anxiety, and increased connection.
Social scientists have also found that focusing acts of kindness into your day can make you feel happier.
6. Focus on the everyday activities that give meaning to your life
You don’t need to solve climate change or feed every poor person in your city to live a meaningful life.
Finding purpose in everyday activities can increase your sense of happiness. Completing impactful tasks like walking the dog, making the bed, completing a project for work, or cooking dinner can give you a sense of accomplishment, especially if you take the time to acknowledge what you’ve done.
And these small jobs provide useful training for retirement. Retirement means leaving a career behind, and many people, while celebrating the freedom, also feel a loss of purpose.
7. Try something you’ve never done before
Once you retire, you’ll have plenty of time to try new things. But you don’t have to wait until you retire to try new things that will likely improve your health.
“The first key to life satisfaction is to explore new interests,” Wharton organizational psychologist Adam Grant told The New York Times.
The good news is that starting something new doesn’t require a lot of effort, preparation, or planning. There are plenty of things you can try right now.
- Buy some fruits and vegetables you’ve never tried before.
- Try a new route for your daily jog.
- Have you ever tried Sudoku? Give it a try.
8. Dealing with worries
Transition is that in-between time when we think about the past, think about mistakes we’ve made, and worry about the future.
But as any self-help guru will tell you, happiness isn’t in the past or the future, it’s in the present.
So how should you respond to worries about your future retirement finances? Humans have an innate desire for control, and while worrying about the future may give you the illusion of doing something, worrying is not quite the same as productive problem solving.
So what can you do? By creating a financial plan, educating yourself about personal finances, and planning for worst-case scenarios (and creating backup plans), you can gain the sense of control you need.
The Boldin Retirement Planner gives you powerful technology to set and manage goals, make better decisions, and stay on track.
Forbes magazine calls Boldin “a new approach to retirement planning,” and it’s been recognized as a top financial tool by Marketwatch, AAII, Seeking Alpha, and many others. Use Boldin to find your path to the future you want, today.
