How You Can Be Prepared for the Top 20 Life Stressors Likely In Retirement

What you can't control but you can do something about

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Prepare yourself for an alternate reality that is the reality.

“Traditional retirement” can be one of if not the most stressful times of your life.

It’s the result of the ultimate “fail to plan, plan to fail” consequence.

It’s failing to plan how to live in our olderhood.

And I’m not referring to financial planning (although that’s important too).

What gets missed, ignored or worse, assumed, is planning for what we’re going to do with our LIFE in olderhood

(BTW, I define olderhood as about 45 to 110+. Please define it for yourself.)

This is about the final DECADES of life that can either be amazing or lousy.

You and I can plan, reimagine, reconsider and redesign a life that is ideal for us and avoid the retirement nightmare.

Yet, we also must be prepared for the avalanche of “life happens” challenges that will very likely happen in our olderhood.

Therefore, there are two types of realities we all need to prepare, plan or choose.

“Failing” at retirement

In my previous newsletter, I dove into how people who assume traditional retirement is the ideal plan quickly learn it’s anything but.

It’s a year or two of retirement bliss, followed by a retirement nightmare.

Loss of relevance, fulfillment, purpose, meaning, self-identity, and a host of other human needs leads to unhappiness, dysfunction, and decline.

If you haven’t read it, I encourage you to do so. It may save your “life.”

There is a megatrend that will soon become the norm of people building a life in their olderhood that is meaningful, relevant and fulfilling with purpose, happiness, active friendships and even profitable.

This is the future that you can control.

Unfortunately, there’s more

Then there are those things you can’t control.

The “life happens” stress list.

Those things are either largely out of our control or catch up to us (but you can be better prepared for them).

To counter the false assumption, presumption and stereotype of retirement bliss, my friend, colleague, and founder of the?Retirement Coaches Association,?Robert Laura,?issued us a warning in a Forbes?article.

“This stage of life can intersect with an avalanche of activity that causes a massive amount of stress, worry and anxiety.”

Robert shares the Holmes & Rahe Stress scale, which ranks life’s top 43 stress-producing events.

Get a load of this: 20 of the 43 can or are likely to happen in olderhood.

Take note that retirement is number ten.

There are some you can control (#40 change in eating habits).

Most of you have zero control over (#5 death of a close family member).

But with all of them, you can choose to have a solid, foundational and purposeful life that strengthens you to overcome these challenges.

Here are the stressors most likely to occur in retirement/olderhood and where they rank in the list of 43.

#1) Death of a spouse

#2) Divorce (grey divorce rates are climbing)

#5) Death of a close family member

#6) Personal Injury or illness (especially Dementia, Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s and other age-related diseases)

#8) Fired at work (Forced into retirement)

#10) Retirement

#11) Change in the health of a family

#13) Sexual difficulties (as we age, all kinds of things change)

#16) Change in our financial status

#17) Death of a close friend

#18) Change to a different line of work (out of necessity or desire)

#19) Change in number of arguments with spouse (common with change of lifestyle)

#20) A large mortgage or loan

#23) Son or daughter leaving home

#26) Spouse begins or stops work (Changes the routine, roles, and expectations)

#28) Change in living conditions

#29) Revision of personal habits

#32) Change in residence (downsizing or re-locating)

#36) Change in social activities (people think they will be more social but often do less)

#40) Change in eating

Notice something?

“What’s interesting is that if you look at the list of stressors, only a handful are financial, whereas the majority of the list hits on mental, social, physical, and spiritual issues,” writes Robert.

“A valuable insight into the direction retirement (olderhood) planning needs to go.”

Robert’s solution is to focus holistically on the:

• MENTAL
• PHYSICAL
• SOCIAL
• SPIRITUAL
• and MONEY parts of your life…in total.

It’s your choice – You have the power

Imagine the consequences of dealing with some or many of the stressors listed above while living a life that isn’t working for you.

Now imagine living a strong, healthy, and purposeful life that empowers you as you deal with unfortunate happenings in life.

It’s your choice (and it is a choice).

So, avoid planning to fail by not planning…

…and take control of your future.

If you value this kind of content, you can find more on?my Substack page. You can subscribe at no cost.